ATLANTA — Nelson Cruz isn’t eager to talk about his age.
The veteran slugger just wants to produce whenever he’s in the lineup, and in his 19th year in Major League Baseball, he is proving he still belongs.
Cruz hit a three-run homer and drove in six runs Sunday night, helping the San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 10-2 for their third consecutive victory.
At 42 years and 282 days, Cruz became the second-oldest player to homer for the Padres, just one day younger than Rickey Henderson was when he went deep on Oct. 4, 2001. It was the most RBIs for Cruz since he drove in seven on July 26, 2020, for the Minnesota Twins against the Chicago White Sox.
“It’s nice, especially against the Braves,” Cruz said. “They have a really good team, so it shows how deep we are as a team. To win three of four against the Braves tells a lot.”