Oneil Cruz Imposes His Power with an Unstoppable Throw
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ center fielder, Oneil Cruz, demonstrated his impressive power in the field on Sunday, with a 105.2 mph throw that left the Mariners’ J.P. Crawford with no options at the plate. This feat becomes the second most powerful throw from the outfield that results in an assist, according to Statcast statistics since 2015.
The fastest recorded launch by Statcast in MLB, which resulted in an out, was 105.5 mph, made by Aaron Hicks of the New York Yankees in 2016.
Cruz’s throw was not only impressive for its speed, but also for its precision, reaching receiver Henry Davis directly, who was able to tag out Crawford.
Cruz’s throw was the fastest by a Pirates outfielder in any situation.Pirates catcher Henry Davis tags out Seattle’s J.P. Crawford at the plate following a 105.2 mph throw from Pittsburgh center fielder Oneil Cruz. (Lindsey Wasson/AP)With an out on the first entry, Jorge Polanco hit a single to left-center field. Cruz, moving to his right, caught the ball and threw with precision towards catcher Henry Davis. The ball, after a bounce, arrived directly in Davis’s glove, who achieved the out.
Cruz, with his imposing height of 6 feet 7 inches, had already earned recognition from Statcast. In May, he hit the hardest batted ball since these statistics began to be recorded, a home run at PNC Park that came off the bat at 122.9 mph and fell into the Allegheny River.
