Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz wasted no time in making an impact on Saturday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. And in the process, Cruz entered his name in the history books when it comes to the illustrious history of the Pirates organization.
Cruz took the first pitch he saw from Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki, leading off the top of the first inning, and deposited it into centerfield at Dodger Stadium to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the game.
Oneil Cruz belts the first pitch of the game to center for a leadoff homer😤 pic.twitter.com/4QzsYliDNJ
— MLB (@MLB) April 27, 2025
While the Dodgers would go on to win the game 8-4, Pirates fans should at least have something to be excited about when it comes to the recent stretch of play from Cruz.
His first inning home run marks the fourth leadoff home run for Cruz this far in the month of April. This tied the organizational record for the most leadoff home runs in a single month in the history of the Pirates organization.
Oneil Cruz’s four leadoff home runs this April are the most in a calendar month in Pirates history https://t.co/VRPQp6moQL
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 27, 2025
Thus far this month, Cruz is hitting for a .280 average to go along with a .356 on-base percentage and seven home runs, which is potentially a sign of things to come from him for the rest of the season.
Cruz has always been a player who has flashed the kind of upside of a perennial All-Star for years to come. Now, we may be seeing that upside turn into the kind of production that Pirates fans have been waiting for.
Unfortunately, the downside of this month for Cruz is that the team success hasn’t been there. After Saturday’s loss to the Dodgers, the Pirates fell to 11-17, which is at the bottom of the NL Central.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.