Gary Ward – A Cycling Record (or two)

I always like it when I have the opportunity to reflect on a hometown Twins’ accomplishment – and this is one of those days.

On September 18, 1980, as the Twins faced off against the Brewers in the first game of a doubleheader, a 26-year-old rookie named Gary Ward was leading off and starting in left field for Minnesota. A September call-up, it was Ward’s fourth game of the season for the Twins and just the 14^th MLB game of his professional career. (Ward had played in ten games for the Twins at the end of the 1979 season and was hitting .282, with 13 home runs, 66 RBI and 26 steals at Triple A when he got the 1980 call to the big club.) Little did Ward know, he was about to earn his way into the MLB record books that day.

In the top of the first inning, Ward double to center off Brewers’ starter Mike Caldwell. In the top of the third, with the Twins trailing 7-1, the 6’2”, 195-pound Ward singled to left – again off Caldwell. In the top of the fifth, he homered to center off Cardwell (Ward’s first major league round tripper) – cutting the lead to 7-2. In the seventh, he rapped a run-scoring triple to right field off reliever Reggie Cleveland, cutting the deficit to two runs (7-5) – and, of course, completing the cycle.  Notably, Ward had shown his ability to use the entire field – double and homer to center, triple to right and single to left.   In his final at bat, Ward lined out to short. His line for the day? Four-for-five with two runs scored and two RBI. The Twins, by the way, lost 9-8 on a walk-off home run by Milwaukee CF/clean-up hitter Gorman Thomas.

In completing his cycle, Ward immediately “wrote” one entry into the MLB record books and set the foundation for a second.

First, Ward set the record (which still stands) for the fewest MLB games played when recording a cycle (14). The Giants’ Fred Lewis came close to Ward’s record when he hit for the cycle in his 16^th MLB game (May 13, 2007) – still the NL record for earliest cycle.

Second, Ward laid the foundation for the only (thus far) father-son combination to hit for the cycle. On May 26, 2004, Gary Ward’s son Daryle – playing 1B and batting third for the Pirates as they took on the Cardinals in St. Louis – hit for the cycle.  In that 11-8 Pirates victory Daryle Ward went four-for-six with three runs scored and six RBI.

For more on MLB’s cycles, click here.

SKIPPING A GENERATION

While, Gary and Daryle Ward are the only father-son combination to hit for the cycle, there is another “relatively” rare family cycle link.  Pirates’ RF Gus Bell and Phillies’ 3B David Bell are the only grandfather-grandson combination to achieve that feat (June 4, 1951 and June 28, 2004, respectively)

Here’s a bit more on the Twins’ Gary Ward. In that 1981 call-up, he hit .463, with one home runs and ten RBI in 13 games. Over five seasons as a Twin, Ward hit .285-51-219, with 26 steals (417 games). Over a 12-season MLB career (Twins, Rangers, Yankees, Tigers), Ward hit .276-130-597, with 83 steals (and 41 triples). The two-time All Star’s best season was 1982, when he hit .289, with 28 home runs and 91 RBI in 162 games for Minnesota. His son Daryle played 11 seasons in the majors (Astros, Cubs, Pirates, Dodgers, Nationals – 1998-2008). Daryle, playing outfield and first base, hit .263, with 90 home runs and 379 RBI over his career. His best campaign was 2002, with the Astros, when he hit .276-12-72 in 136 games.

GOING DEEP – THREE GENERATIONS DEEP

In this post, BBRT noted that Gus and David Bell are the only grandfather-grandson combination to hit for the cycle. The Bell family did have a chance to go three-deep in the cycle, as Gus’ son (and David’s father) Buddy Bell also played in the major leagues.

Here’s a list of three-generation major league families.

COLEMAN FAMILY

First Generation:

Joseph Patrick Coleman, pitcher … (MLB 1942-1955 … 52-76, 4.36)

Second Generation:

Joseph Howard Coleman, pitcher … (MLB 1965-79 … 142-135, 3.70)

Third Generation:

Casey Coleman, pitcher … (MLB 2010-12, 2014 … 8-13, 5.72)

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BOONE FAMILY

First Generation:

Ray Boone, 3B-SS-1B … (MLB 1948-60 … .275, 151 HR, 737 RBI)

Second Generation:

Bob Boone, catcher … (MLB 1972-90 … .254, 105 HR, 826 RBI)

Third Generation:

Bret Boone, 2B … (MLB 1992-2005 … .266, 252 HR, 1,021 RBI)

Aaron Boone, 3B-1B … (MLB 1997-2009 … .263, 126 HR, 555 RBI)

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BELL FAMILY

First Generation:

Gus Bell, Outfield … (MLB 1950-64 … .281, 206 HR, 942 RBI)

Second Generation:

Buddy Bell, 3B … (MLB 1972-89 … .279, 201 HR, 1,106 RBI)

Third Generation:

David Bell, 3B-2B … (MLB 1995-2006 … .257, 123 HR, 589 RBI)

Mike Bell, 3B … (MLB 2000 … .222, 2 HR, 4 RBI)

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HAIRSTON FAMILY

First Generation:

Sammy Hairston, catcher … (MLB 1951 … .400, 0 HR, 1 RBI)

Second Generation:

Jerry Hairston, Outfield… (MLB 1973-89 … .258, 30 HR, 205 RBI)

Third Generation:

Jerry Hairston, Jr., 2B-3B-OF-SS … (MLB 1998-2013 … .257, 70 HR, 420 RBI)

Scott Hairston, Outfield … (MLB 2004-14 … .242, 106 HR, 313 RBI)

Coming soon, the results of BBRT’s first fan survey.  You can take the survey here.

Spoiler Alert from early returns: Beer and hot dogs are still number one; respondents are fine with instant replay, not so with waving a batter to first base on an intentional walk; double plays are more popular than strikeouts; and respondents would rather be in the stands for a perfect game than a four-homer game.

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