Oneil Cruz's 3-run homer off top of foul pole powers Pirates to 8-4 win over Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Oneil Cruz had the hardest-hit homer in the majors this season, a three-run shot off the top of the right-field foul pole in the ninth inning that powered the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.

The Pirates took a 5-4 lead in the ninth when Nick Gonzales broke for the plate on pinch-hitter Jake Mangum's one-out chopper to third base off Cole Winn (1-1). Josh Jung’s throw home pulled catcher Kyle Higashioka into foul territory, and Higashioka could not make the tag.

Cruz followed with his 116.9 mph liner that bounced off the top of the foul pole and into the stands. It was the second hardest-hit ball in the history of Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020.

Pittsburgh's big ninth gave Gregory Soto (1-0) his first win as a Pirate, following his first blown save. The lefty reliever allowed Jake Burger's two-run single in the eighth that tied the score at 4-all. Dennis Santana pitched a perfect ninth for his third save in four opportunities.

Bryan Reynolds’ fifth-inning single, which produced his 500th career RBI, was part of a three-run frame that gave the Pirates a 4-2 lead. Reynolds is tied with Bobby Bonilla for the most RBIs by a Pirates switch-hitter. He also scored Pittsburgh’s first run on Marcell Ozuna’s first-inning double.

Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft set career highs with seven innings and 94 pitches, allowing Jung’s two-run homer in the second inning among four hits. Ashcraft grew up about 100 miles south of Globe Life Field near Waco.

Jung has an RBI in a career-best six consecutive games.

Texas starter Jack Leiter, who turned 26 on Tuesday, allowed four runs, three earned, in five innings. He hasn’t won since his first start this season, at Baltimore on March 30.

With a single and a walk, Pittsburgh’s Ryan O’Hearn has reached base in 20 of 22 games.

Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (1-0, 2.29 ERA) will pitch on five days’ rest in Wednesday night’s series finale against Pirates rookie RHP Bubba Chandler (1-1, 3.15).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Texas Rangers' Jake Burger, center, sprints to first with a two-run single as Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gregory Soto, front left, reacts to the play in the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft hi-fives with teammates in the dugout after working against the Texas Rangers in the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Marcell Ozuna (24) celebrates a run-scoring single as first base coach Tarrik Brock (16) and umpire Dan Merzel, left, look on in the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Texas Rangers' Josh Jung rounds third after hitting a two-run home run off a pitch from Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft, left rear, in the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz (15) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

LONDON (AP) — Opponents of smoking got a breath of fresh air as Parliament passed a bill that will put cigarettes out of reach for future generations.

“The end of smoking, and the devastating harm it causes, is no longer uncertain — it’s inevitable,” Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said after a decades-long campaign in favor of legislation approved Tuesday.

Children born after Dec. 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying cigarettes under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

The legislation that needs approval by King Charles III — a formality — before taking effect will also allow the government to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including flavors and packaging.

It is currently illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco products or vapes to people younger than 18. But most youths today will continue to face a ban their entire life as the minimum age to buy cigarettes rises each year.

The passage gives the U.K. one of the toughest antismoking measures in the world. The law is similar to one New Zealand lawmakers passed in 2022, but that was repealed by a subsequent government.

The number of people who smoke in Britain has declined by two-thirds since the 1970s, but some 6.4 million people — or about 13% of the population — still smoke, according to official figures.

Authorities say smoking causes some 80,000 deaths a year in the U.K, and remains the number one preventable cause of death, disability and poor health.

“Children in the U.K. will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting said.

FILE - A woman smokes on a street in London on April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)