PITTSBURGH — Tuesday was probably what the Pirates envisioned when they called Oneil Cruz up earlier this season.
In a game they eventually won 5-3, the team was trailing by three runs and getting shut out entering the bottom of the sixth. The offense was mostly lifeless against Milwaukee Brewers starter Corbin Burnes. Then Burnes got a little wild. He walked Pirates outfielders Bligh Madris and Cal Mitchell with one out, bringing up Cruz, who represented the tying run.
On a 1-1 pitch, Burnes delivered a changeup that would have been a ball off the outside corner. But in more ways than one, Cruz isn’t a normal hitter. He used each inch of his massive wingspan to reach the ball, then used each ounce of his outlandish strength to muscle it deep to center, over the wall and into the visiting bullpen.
