Oneil Cruz and Bligh Madris make a dazzling debut as pirates crush Cubs

Oneil Cruz promised that the Pirates of Pittsburgh were going to hit a lot of long distances and he didn’t cheat on his long-awaited season debut.

The 6-foot 7, 220-pound short stop gave eye-catching hints of speed, hand strength and power, showing why he was their best prospect, setting some Statcast records along the way.

In order not to be overshadowed, winger Bligh made the history of Madris Pirates, becoming the first player to have two RBIs and a stolen base in his Premier League debut – and added one and a double.

Powered by newcomers – a total of five hits, three runs and six hits – the pirates smashed the Chicago Cubs 12: 1 on Monday night before an audience of 11,312 at PNC Park.

“It’s exciting,” said Cruz team interpreter Mike Gonzalez. “It’s amazing to me to see Bligh play such an amazing game and play the ball the way he does, and also that we can just bring that energy in and help the team win.”

It was the biggest hit of the pirate season, marking the second time they had reached double digits. The first came on May 25 with a 10: 5 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Cruz scored 2 against 5 in four hits, including a three-run double, while Madris scored 3 against 4 in two hits, becoming the first pirate player to make a three-hit debut after Jason Kendall on April 1, 1996.

JT Brubaker (1-7) earned his first win of the season after throwing a six-point ball, promising five hits and three walks with one striker and a wild field, and knocking out five.

“He’s played a lot better and he deserved to win because he’s played well in some games,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton, “so I was very pleased with him.”

The Cubs threatened a goal in the first half when Rafael Ortega knocked to the right and broke Ian Happi’s double in the middle. However, Ortega made a wide turn in the third, and another player, Hoy Park, threw Bryan Reynolds’ throws and shot catcher Tyler Heineman to throw Ortega out.

The pirates took the lead 3-0 in the second round when Daniel Vogelbach and Michael Chavis made the draw, and Cruz hit a helicopter that hit Cubs’ second ball, Jonathan Villar.

This laid the foundations for Madrid in his first Premier League. The 26-year-old, who started on the right field, could not train for the rain due to the pre-game rain. Nevertheless, he cut Caleb Kilian to the right middle of the 1: 1 drowning for the first hit of his career, a double single and a relief.

“You feel the weight lift a little off your shoulders. It’s just nice that the first one got off the road,” Madris said. “At the first AB I felt pretty relaxed. the ball hit the grass, I was like, “Wow, first shot, a couple of RBIs. That’s incredible for the first one. ”

Madris then saved his first stolen base when Tyler Heineman knocked out, placing runners in second and third. Madrid became the first pirate player after Andrew McCutchen in 2009 (and overall third) to make his debut hit, the RBI and a stolen base, and the first to have two RBIs and a stolen base after the RBI became official statistics for the year. 1920 Madrid also becomes the fifth Pirates player to make a hit debut this season, joining Jack Suwinski, Cal Mitchell, Canaan Smith-Njigba and Liover Peguero.

Hoy Park hit the fly in the left field as Cruz spun at an elite speed of 31.5 feet per second and touched the home plate as he slid past catcher Willson Contrera to beat Happ, leading Pirates 3-0. Cruz recorded the pirate’s three fastest sprint speeds, later reaching 30.7 and 30.3.

In third place, Cruz also recorded the fastest throw of the season from the Premier League, according to Statcast, shooting 96.7 miles per hour to first player Michael Chavis to become a Cubs catcher in Willson Contreras. Only San Diego Padres short breaker Fernando Tatis Jr. has taken a faster throw in the Statcast era – on September 20, 2020 at a speed of 97.3 miles per hour.

“It’s going to flow,” Cruz said with a smile. “Whatever breaks breaks.”

The pirates made four more runs in the third time when Kilian lost control. The right hand walked with Reynolds and Suwinski and gave the single to Vogelbach to load the bases, then threw a wild square that allowed Reynolds to take the lead 4-0.

After Chavis walked to reload the bases, Cruz broke a 112.9 mph-speed fast – the Pirates’ best result of the season – to the left to get a double-clear double that he tried to stretch into a trio but threw. out third.

By then, Pirates was leading 7-0.

The Cubs did not score until Tyler Beede replaced Brubaker in seventh and Happ scored 7-0 for Alfonso Rivas.

The pirates increased their lead to seventh in five races. After Reynolds’ singles and doubling on the first baseline, which Suwinski scored at 107.5, Vogelbach drove Alec Mills off the midfield wall with a fast ball, reaching a double double and a 9: 1 lead.

Cruz hit right, leading Vogelbach 10: 1. Madris put the runners in the corner for Heineman, who doubled to the right corner and hit Cruz 11: 1. Hoy Park hit another victim flyer to hit Madris 12: 1.

“We’ve had a lot of celebrations for the men’s first hits, debuts and more,” Chavis said. “It’s always fun to be a part of it. It also keeps it fresh. I think one of the biggest things when a guy makes his debut is it’s kind of a reminder to men who’ve been here for a while how special it is and how special it is to be here every day. For me, it’s just something that reminds me not to take it for granted, it’s just a blessing to be remembered so often right now.