Oneil Cruz Hit a Baseball So Hard It Might Need a Passport
Every so often, baseball gives you a moment that feels like it belongs in a video game — only the controller's broken, the sliders are maxed out, and physics took the day off. Sunday at PNC Park was one of those moments. You could’ve blinked and missed it, but even if you didn’t, your brain probably needed a second to process what just happened.
Oneil Cruz, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 6-foot-7 unicorn, stepped into the box, got a letter-high fastball, and absolutely obliterated it. We’re not talking about a casual home run or even a wall-scraper. This was a ballistic missile off the bat — 122.9 miles per hour, the hardest-hit ball ever recorded in the decade-long history of Statcast.
It traveled 432 feet and splash-landed into the Allegheny River — because, of course it did. Cruz didn't even run right away. He just watched it, like he knew he’d done something special. By the time it settled, Pirates fans weren’t the only ones with their jaws on the floor. Baseball fans everywhere were rewinding the clip to make sure they’d seen it right.
A 122.9‑MPH Cannonball
Logan Henderson, a rookie for the Brewers, had a plan — get ahead with a 92.2 mph four-seam fastball. Maybe sneak it by Cruz. Maybe get him to chase. Let’s just say it’ll probably be a while before he throws that pitch again in Cruz’s direction.
Cruz, all 6-foot-7 of him, didn’t just meet the pitch — he sent it on a fast-track out of the ballpark. He said afterward he “connected really well,” but that feels like an understatement. He stood in the box for a second, motionless, like he wasn’t even sure what he just did.
Pirates pitcher Bailey Falter thought it had bent outside the foul pole. Cruz’s stillness threw him off.
“I thought it was a foul ball because he was just standing there, and then I looked up on the board and realized he hit it 130 mph [122.9] into the Allegheny.”
And this wasn’t just a stat-padding moonshot in a blowout. This mattered. Cruz’s solo blast in the third inning cut the Pirates’ deficit to 3-1. It gave the team — and the crowd — life. The Pirates eventually dropped the game 6-5, but nobody was rehashing bullpen usage on the walk out. All anyone could talk about was that swing, that number, that blur of a baseball, and whether or not it had officially applied for residency in the river.
Cruz vs. Statcast: Breaking a Leaderboard Built for Legends
Statcast, MLB’s tracking system, has been recording every pitch and batted-ball event since 2015. In that time, we’ve seen a lot of jaw-dropping swings, but only three of them have ever topped 122 mph. Oneil Cruz owns two of those.
Before Sunday, Cruz already had the crown for the hardest-hit ball on record — a 122.4 mph laser of a single off the wall back in August 2022. That one looked like something out of a Marvel movie. But this time? He didn’t just beat that number, he crushed it. Sunday’s 122.9 mph bomb was a full-blown, leave-no-doubt, send-the-Statcast-sensors-into-a-frenzy home run.
That homer also stole a title from another well-known name in the exit velocity hall of fame — Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton had previously held the record for the hardest-hit home run at 121.7 mph. And if you’re wondering just how rare these numbers are, here’s what the updated leaderboard looks like:
Oneil Cruz – 122.9 mph, HR vs. Brewers (May 25, 2025)
Oneil Cruz – 122.4 mph, single vs. Braves (Aug 24, 2022)
Giancarlo Stanton – 122.2 mph, single vs. Orioles (Oct 1, 2017)
Giancarlo Stanton – 121.7 mph, HR vs. Rangers (Aug 9, 2018)
You want variety? Sorry. This isn’t a leaderboard for the rest of MLB — it’s a private party for two of the most powerful hitters we’ve ever seen. Stanton's been the exit velo poster boy for years, but Cruz is crashing the party in a big way. And based on the way he’s swinging it, he might not be done rewriting the record books yet.
A Hot Streak Wrapped in a Laser Show
The homer was Cruz’s 11th of the year, making him the Pirates' team leader in long balls and putting a giant exclamation mark on what was already a ridiculous weekend at the plate. The Brewers came to town leading the division, but Cruz wasn’t fazed — he turned the series into his personal highlight reel.
Across four games, he went 6-for-16 with three home runs, five RBIs, a double, and a triple that came off the bat at 114.3 mph. By the end of the weekend, Cruz’s season slash line climbed to .238/.359/.500 with an .859 OPS and 18 stolen bases, which — oh, by the way — is the third most in all of Major League Baseball.
Not bad for a guy who used to be a shortstop and is now learning how to patrol center field full time. He’s still figuring some things out, sure, but when you’re impacting the game like this at the plate, in the field, and on the bases, it’s hard to nitpick.
One Swing, One Record
You didn’t need a radar gun to know that was special — but it sure didn’t hurt. From the moment Cruz made contact, it felt different. The sound off the bat, the way the crowd paused for a split second, the quiet awe from both dugouts — it was one of those swings that instantly joins the memory bank.
In just under four seconds, the ball left the bat, cleared the wall, and landed somewhere in the Allegheny. This wasn’t just about a stat or a new leaderboard entry — it was a reminder of what Cruz is capable of when everything clicks.
He's not just a curiosity because of his size. He's not just "that super tall guy who used to play shortstop." He's a threat to do something outrageous every time he steps into the box.