It's literally a crazy power. Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz launched a missile once again. He set a new record by hitting the strongest ball in Major League Baseball.
On the 26th (Korean time), Cruz hit a powerful home run during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Batting as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the 3rd inning, Cruz faced Milwaukee starter Logan Henderson and crushed a 92.2 mph four-seam fastball on the first pitch. The ball soared like a laser after splitting the pitch with his bat and cleared the entire PNC Park. The ball flowed into the Allegheny River outside PNC Park. It was a massive home run with a distance of 432 feet (about 131.7 m).
Above all, the speed of this hit was outrageous. It recorded 122.9 mph (197.8 km) on 'Statcast.' MLB.com stated that this hit set the record for the strongest hit in Statcast history. Moreover, the previous record was also held by Cruz, who had hit a ball at 122.4 mph (197 km) on Aug. 25, 2022. Cruz self-improved this record after about three years.
He also set a new record for the strongest home run hit. The previous fastest home run was recorded at 121.7 mph (195.9 km) by Giancarlo Stanton on Aug. 10, 2018, in a game against the Texas Rangers. Now the records for the fastest ball and the fastest ball home run in Major League Baseball are the same.
Cruz showcased his incredible power in the big leagues, hitting his 11th home run of the season. This season, Cruz has a batting average of .236 (38 hits in 161 at-bats), 11 home runs, 23 RBIs, and an OPS of .853 over 46 games.
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