In one of the highlights of the 2025 Home Run Derby, Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz hit a remarkable 513-foot home run in the first round of the Derby at Truist Park in Atlanta. This home run shocked the crowd – it was terrific- tied the overall Derby record for length in a non-Coors Field venue since Statcast began tracking in 2016, and was the longest home run in Truist Park history, surpassing Ronald Acuña Jr.'s record from 2020.
Cruz was the fourth batter to go in the opening round and tied Junior Caminero at 21 home runs, and he topped James Wood's monstrous 486-foot blast for the longest of the night. His most spectacular swing came in at 118 mph, 513 feet high, soaring well out of the stadium with the fans exploding in applause.
THINGS ARE GETTING OUT OF HAND 🤯
ONEIL CRUZ HITS THIS BASEBALL 513 FEET and 118 MPH 🚀 pic.twitter.com/2mtVUCSyEn
— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2025
That home run matched Aaron Judge's 513-foot shot at loanDepot Park in Miami during the 2017 Derby. Even when factoring in the altitude-boosted homers at Coors Field, Cruz's hit stands as the fourth-longest in the history of the Statcast-era Home Run Derby.
Throughout the round, Cruz averaged an impressive 447 feet per home run, racking up 9,394 feet with an exit velocity of 107.9 mph. His five longest home runs measured 479, 483, 487, 488, and 513 feet. He also hit homers on five of his last seven swings to reach that 21 mark.
With this outstanding performance, Cruz made history for his franchise as the first Pirates player to advance to the second round of the Home Run Derby. Big names like Barry Bonds and Josh Bell had fallen short in the opening round, but Cruz moved on after outshining Byron Buxton, Brent Rooker, and several other competitors.
Earlier in the season, Cruz raised eyebrows when he broke the Statcast record of hardest-hit home run ever — a 122.9 mph rocket hit at PNC Park against the Milwaukee Brewers. The display put on Monday night cemented his status as one of the most potent hitters in Major League Baseball.