PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz has had a sensational series from the plate against the Milwaukee Brewers and displayed his power again in the series finale at PNC Park.

Cruz faced Brewers right-handed starting pitcher Logan Henderson, leading off in the bottom of the third inning.

He saw a 92.2 mph four-seam fastball down the middle of the plate and crushed it, hitting it 122.9 mph and 432 feet over the right field wall and into the Allegheny river for a solo home run.

That 122.9 mph ranks as the hardest hit ball in the Statcast era, since 2015. It also breaks his previous record, which was 122.4 mph that he hit off of a slider from Atlanta Braves starting right-handed pitcher Kyle Wright on Aug. 24, 2022.

Cruz has had his best series of the season for the Pirates, as his great form from the plate has played a huge role for the team.

He previously hit the hardest home run of his career off of Brewers starting right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta on May 23, to put the Pirates up 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning.

Cruz came through again in the bottom of the ninth inning, as he hit another solo home run, which tied the game up at 4-4 and allowed the Pirates to win 6-5 in extra innings.

He didn’t hit a home run in the previous ball game, but did hit an RBI-triple in the bottom of the seventh inning on May 24, providing the go-ahead run in the 2-1 victory for the Pirates.

Cruz has also achieved these feats with different bats, as he gave his bat to a young fan he made a deal with following his RBI-triple.

He recently came off of a lower back injury, that kept him out for four games, including the series vs. the New York Mets at Citi Field, May 12-14.

Cruz would return vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, May 16-18, but struck out eight times in nine at-bats.

The Pirates have needed Cruz’s production, especially in the leadoff spot, as he has six hits in 15 at-bats vs. the Brewers, hitting .400.

He has slashed .238/.361/.494 for an OPS of .855, with 38 hits, six doubles, 11 home runs, 23 RBIs, 30 walks to 61 strikeouts and 18 stolen bases, which ranks second in the MLB.

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