PITTSBURGH (AP) — Newly promoted Oneil Cruz drove in four runs and Bligh Madris got three hits in his major league debut, sparking the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 12-1 romp over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.
Both rookies were called up from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day and they delivered right away.
Cruz, considered Pittsburgh’s top prospect, hit a three-run double to deep center field that capped a four-run third inning to push the Pirates’ lead to 7-0. He was playing in the third big league game of his career.
The 6-foot-7 Cruz also hit an RBI single in a five-run seventh as the Pirates set a season high for runs. He started the final two games of last season when he became the tallest shortstop in major league history.
Cruz’s double had an exit velocity of 112.9 mph, his throw to first base on a groundout was clocked at 96.7 mph and his sprint speed registered as high as 31.5 feet/second while running the bases. All are among the highest marks by a Pirates player since the MLB Statcast era began in 2015.
“He can affect the game in a lot of ways, and we saw it tonight,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said.
Madris hit a two-run single in the second inning in his first at-bat in the majors. The outfielder keyed a three-run inning that included the first of Hoy Park’s two sacrifice flies.
Madris became the first Pirates player to have a three-hit game in his debut since Jason Kendall in 1996.
“That was a lot of fun and everything I could ask for,” Madris said with a big smile. “With (batting practice) getting canceled today, when I stepped in the box, it was really my first at-bat in the big leagues. The game threw a little bit of everything at me today. Thankful for the opportunity. It was awesome.”
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