Pirates’ Oneil Cruz’s Unbelievable Center Field Blunder Sends Run Scurrying – What Happened Next Will Shock You!
Coming into the showdown against the Texas Rangers, the Pittsburgh Pirates were lugging around the weight of a dismal 30-47 record, second-worst in the National League—yeah, that’s rough for any team. Early in the game, I gotta say, Oneil Cruz—Pittsburgh’s center fielder—looked beaten down, maybe by the losses or just the sting of another blunder on the field. On a Sam Haggerty single to center, Cruz made a costly error: the ball slipped right under his glove, and instead of diving after it, he just kinda stood there, watching it roll away. You can almost feel the frustration—like he was mad at himself, sure, but as a competitor, you gotta hustle regardless. Now, Adam Frazier did his part backing up the play, but if Cruz had just sprinted right after that ball, things might’ve looked way different. Instead, Josh Smith scored from first, Haggerty made it to third, and after a wild pitch from Mike Burrows, Rangers grabbed a 2-0 lead. That lapse alone chalked up Cruz’s seventh error this season, leading all MLB outfielders, and keep in mind—he’s still finding his footing this year as a center fielder after switching over from shortstop last season. It wasn’t just the technique or positioning that faltered here; nope, it was effort—something you can’t fake out there on the diamond, especially for a player as fast as Cruz, who ranks second across MLB with 25 stolen bases. Later on, his inexperience showed again in the seventh inning when he mishandled a deep drive by Marcus Semien, leading to a collision and runs that helped the Rangers pull away with a 6-2 victory. Offensively, Cruz went 0-for-5, underscoring a tough night at the plate to go along with the defensive mishaps. The kid’s got talent, no doubt, but these moments? They sting—and they teach.
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