Nelson Cruz may be towards the end of his career, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still produce like he’s in his prime.
And the 42-year-old slugger certainly had a night to remember against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.
Thanks to his performance, the San Diego Padres managed to pull off a series win against the Braves.
The veteran slugger went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a home run, and six RBI.
On Twitter, MLB posted a cool graphic featuring Cruz’s statistics from Sunday night’s blowout win over the Braves, showing just how dominant he was in the series finale between the two National League powerhouses.
Nelson Cruz’s big night leads the @Parents to a #SundayNightBaseball victory. pic.twitter.com/aj5kSrSARz
—MLB (@MLB) April 10, 2023
Cruz certainly busted out the lumber on Sunday night as he led the Padres to a crucial series win.
The Padres and Braves engaged in an epic battle in the series opener on Thursday.
The Braves ultimately rallied and emerged victorious, which knocked the Padres under the .500 mark.
But from there, the Padres kicked it into gear and began winning games.
Now, they have pulled into a first-place tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 6-4 record.
San Diego is also now tied with Arizona and Atlanta for the second-best record in the National League.
The Padres won 89 games last season and captured the second NL Wild Card.
They fell short in the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies, but are prepared to come back stronger in 2023.
A series win in Atlanta is a good start, and having Cruz provide the power certainly helped them out.
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