Pirates’ Oneil Cruz faces criticism for defensive effort
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Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz has come under criticism for his early-season defensive efforts as the team lost two of its first three games to begin the 2026 season.
On Sunday, Cruz heard about it from Pirates broadcasters Greg Brown and Matt Capps. In a 1-1 game against the New York Mets in the bottom of the second inning, Cruz caught a fly ball in the second inning of the inning as baserunner Brett Baty was considering a head-to-head strikeout.
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Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) catches a pop fly by New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien (not pictured) during the second inning at Citi Field on March 29, 2026. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Capps and Brown were less than pleased with Cruz’s effort.
“You want to see a little more enthusiasm to get the ball in,” Capps said.
“It’s kind of stupid on Cruza’s part,” Brown added.
Cruz went 1-for-4 in the Pirates’ 4-3 victory over the Mets in 10 innings. But through three games, Cruz has already been a source of consternation for Pirates fans.
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Pittsburgh Pirates outfielders Oneil Cruz (left), Jake Mangum (center) and Billy Cook celebrate after a baseball game against the New York Mets on Sunday, March 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
He had poor defensive play with Paul Skenes on the mound in the first game of the season. Skenes was handling the bases in the bottom of the first inning when Baty hit a ball over Cruz’s head on Thursday.
Cruz began to advance, not realizing the ball was about to fly over his head. This allowed more runs on the board and Skenes failed to advance past the first inning.
He was kept on the bench for the second game of the season and was used only in a short-hitting role.
“The sun was right in front of me,” he told reporters of his Opening Day mistake. via SNY. “You don’t want these things to happen, but today it was really uncomfortable having the sun in front of my face. I tried my best but it was a little difficult.”
Oneil Cruz (15) of the Pittsburgh Pirates singles to first in the first inning of the opening day baseball game against the New York Mets on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
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Pittsburgh starts the year 1-2 ahead.
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