Fastball

Pittsburgh Pirates Standout Makes Rare Team History By Going 20/20 in 2024

It's been somewhat of a rocky season for Pittsburgh Pirates player Oneil Cruz, but he did just make some unique team history.

Brady Farkas

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (15) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Sept 22.
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (15) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Sept 22. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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Congratulations are in order for Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who has made some unique team history in 2024.

Heading into the final week of the season, Cruz has 21 homers and 22 stolen bases, making him just the 10th different player in the Pirates long history to go 20/20 in a season.

It's been a frustrating year for Cruz, who was moved to the outfield from shortstop, but there's no denying his unbelievable talent and skillset. One of the "toolsiest" players in baseball, Cruz is hitting .268 this year. He's got 76 RBI to go along with his homers and stolen bases as well.

It's also been a year of growth for Cruz, who played just nine games in 2023 because of a broken leg suffered in early April.

Still just 25 years old, Cruz will pair with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones to make up the nucleus of the Pirates for years to come. Though they are 73-83 this year and will miss the playoffs once again, there are reasons to be optimistic about what's happening under the hood in Pittsburgh.

The Pirates will be off on Monday before returning home Tuesday to take on the Milwaukee Brewers, who won the National League Central. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 6:40 p.m. ET as left-hander Bailey Falter pitches against Brewers' righty Tobias Myers.

Falter, who spent last year with the Philadelphia Phillies, is 8-8 with a 4.15 ERA this season. Myers is 8-6 with a 3.05 for Milwaukee.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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