Pittsburg, PA
Pirates’ Oneil Cruz Sets New Record with Home Run
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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Pittsburg, PA
About 5 pounds of bees removed from Acrisure Stadium scaffolding ahead of Morgan Wallen concerts
Acrisure Stadium is buzzing with excitement ahead of the back-to-back Morgan Wallen concerts. Except it’s not the fans generating all the excitement — it’s about 5 pounds of honeybees.
The Fine Family Apiary in Monongahela said it was contacted on Wednesday about a swarm of bees clustered on the stage scaffolding. The apiary put the swarm in a “nuc box” and took them home before moving the bees into full-size equipment.
Owner Al Fine estimates the swarm weighed about 4 to 5 pounds and consisted of 12,000 to 15,000 bees. All said, it took less than two hours to get the job done.
Why do bees swarm?
Swarming is how honeybees propagate, Fine explained. According to Penn State Extension, during swarming, the queen and about half the workers leave their home to establish a new nest. The bees will form a temporary cluster, hanging out while scouts search the surrounding area for a more permanent home in hollow spaces like tree cavities or, occasionally, the walls of a home.
Swarms can stick around for several hours or days until they’re ready to move, Penn State Extension says. Meanwhile, the colony left behind is temporarily without a leader until a new queen is established.
With the swarm at Acrisure Stadium removed, Morgan Wallen’s show is ready to go on. The country music megastar will bring his I’m The Problem Tour to Pittsburgh on June 5 and June 6, along with multiple acts like Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley.
On Sept. 17, multi-platinum country music star Luke Bryan will bring his Farm Tour to 1846 Farms near Latrobe.
Westmoreland County is no stranger to large outdoor concerts. Some may remember the Rolling Rock Town Fair in the early 2000s, while others may recall Luke Bryan’s stop at a farm in South Huntingdon Township just two years ago. Now the country music superstar is returning to the area.
The Unity Township farm’s general manager, Aleisha Stas, gave KDKA a tour of the family farm, which dates back to before the Civil War. She says Bryan’s team first reached out after finding the farm on social media, but she says at first, she and her family thought it was too good to be true.
“This was around April Fools, so we thought it was an April Fools prank,” Stas said. “My whole family, we were like, there’s no way this is about to happen. But this has been incredible.”
Stas says Bryan’s team is handling everything logistically from parking and bathrooms to deciding exactly where the concert will be staged.
“If we have it on this side of the property, we can hold 12,000 people,” Stas said. “And if we have it on (the other side) of the property, it can be up to 20,000. But we have not determined that yet.”
Many of those decisions will be made as September gets closer. In the meantime, however, the farm is holding off on planting in certain fields until the final concert location is selected.
And while hosting thousands of people may sound a little intimidating, Stas says her family is excited to welcome fans to the farm for what they hope will be a memorable night.
“Obviously, we’ve never had this many people here before, so it will be a new thing for all of us, but we are not worried,” said Stas. “Luke Bryan’s team are experts with this, and I think it will go great.”
Tickets for this concert are currently on sale, and they will run you about $77 per person, plus tax for general admission.
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