After a cold start, veteran slugger Marcell Ozuna reached a historic milestone on Friday night in San Francisco.
Marcell Ozuna has yet to live up to his contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which is a sizeable one by their standards.
The 35-year-old designated hitter is batting just .198/.271/.322 with four home runs in 32 games. This underwhelming start contrasts with what the Pirates hoped for after signing Ozuna to a one-year, $12-million contract just before spring training began.
Despite these struggles, Ozuna offered a glimpse of the potential Pittsburgh sought on Friday night at Oracle Park in San Francisco, going 3 for 4 with a walk and hitting his 300th career home run. Still, his strong performance could not prevent the Pirates from falling 5-2 to the Giants, their second loss in the last seven games.
That home run was especially meaningful to Ozuna, as he became the 167th major-league player since 1901 to reach the mark and the 15th native of the Dominican Republic.
"Thank God and my family for being there every time and the amazing career that I have,” Ozuna told reporters after the game. “Thank God, and let's keep doing it. Let's go to 400. God willing.”
Ozuna faces a challenge in reaching 400 home runs; nonetheless, he has already achieved an impressive milestone by hitting his 300th homer. In the second inning, he reached this mark, connecting against Giants left-hander Robbie Ray.
Ozuna's journey to 300 began on May 4, 2013. Playing for the Miami Marlins, he hit his first home run, a solo shot off the Phillies’ Cole Hamels at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
He reached 100 home runs in 2018 with the St. Louis Cardinals, homering off Pittsburgh's Chad Kuhl. Later, with the Atlanta Braves in 2023, Ozuna hit No. 200 against the Marlins’ Braxton Garrett.
In 2023, Ozuna set his career high for home runs with 40. The following season, he hit 39, but last year his total dropped to 21.
Ozuna has started to heat up recently, going 8 for 22 (.364) with a double and two homers in six games this May. This recent uptick fits a familiar pattern: historically, he begins the season slowly, posting a .754 OPS in March/April. However, his numbers generally improve as the season progresses: .833 in May, .785 in June, .732 in July, .819 in August, and .873 in September/October.
"We lost the confidence, we lost the timing, and then cold weather messed up most of the time," Ozuna said of his slow start this season. “I think it's a time to be ready to compete. May, June, and July are our months."
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