Oneil Cruz remains one of the most exciting players to watch all across baseball. He is undoubtedly the superstar player on a below-average Pittsburgh Pirates team, and his all-world talent was on display Friday night. Cruz launched a 114.7-mph, 451-foot grand slam in the top of the first inning. It was his team leading 18th homer of the season, and it propelled Pittsburgh to an early 5-0 lead. As if that mammoth blast in the top of the first wasn’t enough for the evening, Cruz had a chance to show off the cannon attached to his right arm a little later in the game. On what appeared to be a likely triple for Rockies’ centerfielder Brenton Doyle, Cruz unleashed a 96.3 mph throw from deep centerfield to gun down Doyle at third base. In what has been yet another lost and down season in Pittsburgh, having a superstar-caliber player such as Cruz gives fans a reason to want to come watch the Pirates play on a nightly basis.
