Carson Kelly had come close to hitting for the cycle, yet that elusive triple kept holding him back. He had just two triples over a 10-year major league career before Monday.
That is when Kelly became the first Chicago Cubs player in 32 years to hit for the cycle. He tripled in the eighth inning of an 18-3 rout of the Athletics — ending the longest drought without a cycle by any team in the National League.
Kelly even walked twice in the first major league game at Sutter Health Park, the minor league ballpark serving as the new home for the A’s this season.
Photo: AFP
“I’ve been in this same position before where I needed a triple for the cycle. If anybody’s ever looked up my numbers, I have two triples, so odds are not in my favor, right?” 30-year-old Kelly said. “I didn’t get it done the first time. This time I’m like: ‘Oh, I’m just going to put a good at-bat together. Hit it,’ like: ‘Oh yeah, pretty good.’ Then I hit first and saw it ricochet and I was like: ‘Oh boy, this is it right here, I gotta go.’ That’s probably the fastest you’ll ever see me run.”
Kelly homered in the fourth inning, had a two-run single in the fifth, doubled and walked in the sixth, and tripled in the eighth. The previous Cubs player to hit for the cycle was Mark Grace on May 9, 1993, against San Diego — before Kelly was even born in 1994.
The team had 342 near-cycles since Grace’s feat, meaning the particular player was one required hit short.
No catcher for the Cubs had accomplished the feat since Randy Hundley on Aug. 11, 1966, versus Houston.
Kelly also became just the third major league player to hit for the cycle and walk twice in the same game. Joe Gordon did it for the Yankees in 1940 and Mickey Cochrane in 1937 for the Philadelphia A’s.
The Royals hold the longest stretch without a cycle in the majors. George Brett was the last player to do it for Kansas City on July 25, 1990, against Toronto.
Kelly’s run-scoring triple made it 17-3 and he was thrilled to make that his third career triple.
“The two times I had triples both guys fell down, like ran into the wall and fell down,” he said. “The odds are not in your favor on that.”
This time, the ball went off the wall in right-center and Kelly ran like mad.
“I didn’t realize he had a chance at a cycle, but when that ball kicked off the wall the dugout started going crazy, so I figured something was going on,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “They’re fun days, they’re rare days and they’re once-in-a-lifetime-type days for players.”
Before Monday’s game, Kelly even pulled out a new bat — “one and done,” he joked afterward.
He could not believe it had been since Grace that the Cubs had someone hit for the cycle.
“I know Mark Grace, too, in Arizona. I’ll have to hit him up,” Kelly said. “Pretty special. Great accomplishment. Something I never thought I would get. I’m just very fortunate and blessed. A lot of hard work, a lot of great teammates pumping me up. So all in all just a very special night.”
Elsewhere, the Reds routed the Rangers 14-3, the White Sox blanked the Twins 9-0, the Padres pummeled the Guardians 7-2, the Dodgers downed the Braves 6-1, the Royals thrashed the Brewers 11-1, the Orioles overcame the Red Sox 8-5 and the Phillies crushed the Rockies 6-1.
The Tigers tamed the Mariners 9-6, the Mets mastered the Marlins 10-4, the Rays sank the Pirates 6-1, the Giants downed the Astros 7-2, the Blue Jays beat the Nationals 5-2 and the Angels edged the Cardinals 5-4 in 10 innings.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS