The third pitch.
Well outside the zone. 2-1.
Of course, the best hit you can get off a ball is a home run, which Cruz did better than anybody else. Once again, his seasonal batting average was not stellar, but the power he possessed with his bat separated him from the rest of the competition.
Here’s another look at his hitting, this time comparing slugging and home runs hit in a single season. Cruz, in 2012, is miles ahead of the rest.
Perhaps the most noteworthy charts are these, which measure how often a player hits a homerun, given by the percent of hits that are home runs.
Cruz not only holds the top spot, but also the second.
Finally, in any given plate appearance, Cruz leads all players since 2012 for the highest likelihood to hit a homerun. Plus, leading up to this moment, Cruz was one-shy of the Cornell single-season home run record - his success was historic.