Pittsburgh — An exchange on social media this week has highlighted the quirky nature of early-season statistical milestones, as Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz has claimed a piece of history that even baseball historians might not have noticed.

On Tuesday night, the Cincinnati Reds’ official X account posted a statistic celebrating their own young star, shortstop Elly De La Cruz: “Elly De La Cruz is the first Major Leaguer since 1900 with 10+ homers and 8+ stolen bases before May.”

The next morning, the post was met with a response from Jim Rosati from North Shore Nine, who pointed out a similarly obscure—but still factually correct—achievement by the Pirates’ Cruz.

“Oneil Cruz is the first Major Leaguer in history with 9+ homers and 10+ stolen bases before May,” Rosati wrote.

— Jim Rosati 🏴‍☠️ (@northsiden0tch) April 29, 2026

Besides being jabs by division rivals , the back-to-back posts ironically bring attention to how modern baseball’s shifting schedule and cherry-picked thresholds can…