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In late May, Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz set a Statcast record with two home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers.
One of those homers reached 122.9 miles per hour, the hardest hit ball in the Statcast era.
Ironically, a month later, against the Brewers, he made a name for himself in a different way. However, it wasn't in a good way.
On Tuesday, Cruz was removed from the game for not running out a double-play grounder, per ESPN. It came in the 7th inning with the Pirates trailing 7-3 with a runner on first.
Cruz grounded out in a 6-4-3 double play, but slowly made his way to first after the force out at second.
Cruz said he thought that was the third out. Ultimately, Pirates manager Don Kelly removed Cruz in the 8th inning for not hustling on that play.
In the end, the Pirates lost to the Brewers 9-3. Afterward, Cruz spoke of the decision and took accountability.
“DK had all the rights to do what he did, and I'll back him up on that,” he said. “It was my fault because I thought there were two outs in that situation. That's why I let off running to first base.”
Additionally, Kelly said he talked with Cruz and explained his decision.
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“We talked,” Kelly said. “He knows the expectation. Right there, I feel we fell a little short.”
Furthermore, Kelly didn't say whether he would put Cruz in the lineup for Wednesday's game.
“We're going to sit down and talk, and we'll figure that out,” he said.
Oneil Cruz's place on the Pirates
Cruz is a ubiquitous player who plays both shortstop and center field. He was drafted by the Pirates in 2021.
This year, Cruz is batting .208 batting average with 13 home runs, 31 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases (the most in the National League).
Altogether, Cruz is a young promising player with quickness, agility, and power. He also holds the Pirates consecutive stolen base record with 34.
