When you need a hit, there’s nobody you’d rather have at the plate right now than Bryan De La Cruz.
On Sunday, the Marlins needed a hit. They were on the precipice of suffering another frustrating one-run loss in a season full of them, of becoming the first MLB team since 2020 to get swept in a series by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, speedy Magneuris Sierra had made his way to third base, but with two outs, it would take a teammate to pick him up.
De La Cruz fouled off a couple Chris Stratton fastballs, watched a couple curveballs miss below the zone, then pounced on an 80 mile-per-hour hanger and lined it up the middle for the game-tying single.