Jesús Cruz

Note: This page is for major league pitcher Jesús Cruz, who made his debut in 2020; for others with the same name click here.

Jesús Cruz Sustaita

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 230 lb.

• Debut August 18, 2020

• Born April 15, 1995 in Salinas de Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí Mexico

BR page

Biographical Information

Jesús Cruz has pitched in the majors and for the Mexican national team.

He made his pro debut in 2016-2017 with the Charros de Jalisco, posting a 3.66 ERA in 18 outings. He began 2017 on a rough note with the Sultanes de Monterrey (0-1, 8.49 in 13 G) but was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals and pitched for the DSL Cardinals (3-0, 2 Sv, 0.71, 19 K, 5 H in 12 2/3 IP), GCL Cardinals (1 R in 1 2/3 IP) and State College Spikes (1-0, Sv, 1 R, 8 K in 4 2/3 IP). That winter, he had a 4-2, 5.04 record for Jalisco.

In 2018, he was with the Palm Beach Cardinals (6-0, Sv, 3.54 in 25 G, 85 K in 68 2/3 IP) and Peoria Chiefs (1-1, 2.16 in 5 G). He fanned 104 in 85 1/3 innings for the year, good for 10th in the Cards chain. In '19, he was with the Springfield Cardinals (1 R in 3 2/3 IP, 10 K) and Memphis Redbirds (6-6, 6.24 in 50 G). He fanned 79 in 57 2/3 IP for Memphis but walked 41. Among St. Louis farmhands, he made the most appearances, one ahead of Jacob Patterson and Chasen Shreve.

Cruz then made Mexico's team for the 2019 Premier 12. He pitched three times for them. In his debut, against Team USA, he relieved Felipe González in the 5th with a 3-2 lead, one on and two out. He fanned Jo Adell then went 1-2-3 in the 6th against Bobby Dalbec, Alec Bohm and Daulton Varsho. He struck out Andrew Vaughn to open the 7th then retired Jake Cronenworth before Brennan Bernardino relieved him. He had maintained the lead well and Mexico went on to win. His next outing, he replaced Arturo Reyes in the 6th with a 2-0 lead over Taiwan. He struck out Wei-Chen Wang and Tung-Hua Yueh before Po-Jung Wang flew out; future big leaguer Humberto Castellanos succeeded him. Finally, against champion Japan, he relieved Francisco Rios in the 6th with a 3-1 deficit. He did not let it get any worse, though he finally allowed a baserunner when he began by walking Yoshihiro Maru. He got Tetsuto Yamada on a fly but Hayato Sakamoto singled and Hideto Asamura's fly advanced Maru to 3rd. Cruz retired tourney MVP Seiya Suzuki to quell the threat. In the 7th, he went 1-2-3 against Shuta Tonosaki (K), Kensuke Kondo and Nobuhiro Matsuda before Bernardino took over in the 8th. He was a fine part of Mexico's bullpen as they won a spot in the 2020 Olympics (which were later delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

When he made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on August 18, 2020, he was the first major league player to wear uniform number 86 in a game, the penultimate number never to have been worn, leaving just number 89 as unclaimed. He was one of a large group of players to make his debut withe the Cards over the span of a few days, a result of the team having to replace a number of players infected as part of an outbreak of COVID-19 at the end of July. In his debut, he relieved Ryan Meisinger with a 4-1 deficit, two outs and the bases loaded in the 7th against the Cubs. He struck out Kyle Schwarber on a full count to escape that jam. In the 8th, he struck out Willson Contreras but then gave up singles to Jason Heyward and David Bote, a RBI double to Victor Caratini and a sacrifice fly to Jason Kipnis. After walking Ian Happ, he was replaced by Nabil Crismatt.

Related Sites

• Jesus Cruz on mlb.com
• BR Register page