Oneil Cruz Records 5 Hits, Stolen Base to Make Unique Pittsburgh Pirates History

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz joined Ke'Bryan Hayes, Andrew McCutchen and other key players in franchise history with his big game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.

Aug 2, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (15) reacts at second base after hitting a double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at PNC Park. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Oneil Cruz entered Friday night's contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks in desperate need of a bounce back performance.

The Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts on Tuesday, then 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Wednesday. Cruz also made three errors in the field against the Houston Astros on Wednesday, leading to a 5-4 loss for the Pirates.

Pittsburgh lost by one run again on Friday, but Cruz did his part and then some this time around.

Cruz finished the night 5-for-5 with a double, two RBI, two runs and a stolen base. His throwing error in the first allowed Corbin Carroll to score on a leadoff triple, but he was perfect from then on.

According to Underdog Fantasy's Justin Havens, Cruz is just the fifth Pirates player in the Wild Card era to have five hits and a stolen base in a single game. Third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes did it in 2023, but before that, no Pirates batter had achieved the feat since Andrew McCutchen in 2010.

Two-time All-Star outfielder Brian Giles and three-time All-Star infielder Freddy Sánchez did so in 2000 and 2009, respectively.

Oneil Cruz is the 5th Pirates player with 5+ hits and SB in a game in the Wild Card era, joining Brian Giles (2000), Freddy Sánchez (2009), Andrew McCutchen (2010) and Ke’Bryan Hayes (2023).

— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) August 3, 2024

Cruz is now batting .257 with 17 home runs, 56 RBI, 10 stolen bases, a .777 OPS and 1.9 WAR this season. Just since July 3, though, Cruz is batting .322 with five home runs, 20 RBI, four stolen bases and a .971 OPS.

Even though the 25-year-old has missed a little time with minor ankle and hamstring injuries, his 98 appearances in 2024 match his total number of MLB games played from 2021 to 2023.

Now that his fractured fibula from 2023 is firmly in his rear-view mirror, Cruz seems primed to follow in the footsteps of McCutchen, Sánchez and Giles by ascending to All-Star status. Cruz may only be a .247 hitter with a .764 OPS for his career, but he averages 30 home runs, 97 RBI, 19 stolen bases and a 3.7 WAR per 162 games.

Cruz will try to stay hot Saturday when the Pirates face the Diamondbacks again at 6:40 p.m. ET.

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