CINCINNATI -- With the bases loaded and the Pirates leading by three runs in the third inning Tuesday night, Oneil Cruz used some heads-up baserunning to steal an extra run in what ultimately became a 9-5 victory over the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
The quick-thinking on Cruz's part came after Edward Olivares delivered with a bloop single to right field that landed in front of Jake Fraley. Bryan Reynolds scored easily on the play, but Fraley showed a bit of hesitation before getting the ball in to the infield. Cruz, who was going from second to third on the play, noticed the hesitation and hustled his way home to take advantage of the miscue and give the Pirates a 5-0 lead:
"THAT'S THE WAY YOU PLAY BASEBALL!"
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) June 25, 2024
Edward Olivares makes it 5-0 after some excellent base running Oneil Cruz!!!!! pic.twitter.com/ptcV38ZgaS
"I just saw they lobbed the ball toward the infield and that was my chance to advance to home plate," said Cruz, who admittedly has experienced scoring on that same play during his time playing winter ball. "My way to do it is I take short steps toward home like I'm not going. And then whenever they lob the ball, then I go fast."
Derek Shelton raved about Cruz's ability to take advantage of the throw-in, while lauding the base-running effort as a whole, one that included rare stolen bases by Andrew McCutchen and Rowdy Tellez in the early innings. Shelton said he asked third-base coach Mike Rabelo about Cruz's specific play after the game to get his insight as to what occurred.
"He said Oneil just never stopped," Shelton said. "He was watching the play, had his head on a swivel, and when you have that explosiveness to run the bases like that, that's a really heads-up baseball play. It was a big play in the game."
