(AUDACY) While celebrating his birthday Thursday, Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz showcased he isn't slowing down anytime soon.
On the day he turned 41, Cruz ripped an 87-mph slider from White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon so hard — 106.5 mph, to be exact — that it dug a little burrow into third baseman Yoan Moncada's glove, and Moncada couldn't get it out.
Cruz went 2-for-5 with an RBI, upping his slash line to an impressive .310/.382/.584 and maintaining the third-best OPS in the American League, but the White Sox got he last laugh in sweeping the Twins with an 8-5 win. Apparently, Cruz doesn't realize what's supposed to happen as you age, as his performance isn't showing signs of declining. He's averaging a casual 46 home runs and .935 OPS per 162 games after turning 35.
Here are a few fun stats, according to Stathead, that showcase how special Cruz's performance in recent years has been.
— He's one of only 10 players with a .930 OPS after the age of 35 and at least 1,500 plate appearances in that time. You may have heard of the others: Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Larry Walker, David Ortiz, Tris Speaker, Manny Ramirez, Cy Williams and Edgar Martinez.
— With six more home runs this year, he'll become the fourth player to hit more than 200 home runs past the age of 35. The others? Bonds, Hank Aaron and Rafael Palmeiro.
— As of now, his .966 OPS is the fourth-highest of an age-40 player in league history, trailing only David Ortiz (1.021 at age 40), Cap Anson (.997 at age 42) and John Henry Lloyd (.972 at age 44).
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