Once again, it’s time for Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye. (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” those one-of-a-kind accomplishment or statistics. Today, we are looking not at a unicorn, but at an achievement that (for The Roundtable) qualified as a unicycle.
On September 18, 1980, Twins’ rookie Gary Ward – in his fourteenth MLB game, hit his first MLB home run. Ward, playing LF and leading off for the Twins in an eventual, nine-inning 9-8 win over the Brewers in Milwaukee:
- Doubled to lead off the first inning (off Mike Caldwell);
- Singled to lead off the third inning (off Caldwell);
- Hit a solo home run with two out in the fifth (off Caldwell);
- Hit an RBI triple in the seventh (off Reggie Cleveland);
- Lined out to SS in the eighth (off John Flinn).
Ward’s cycle was unique in the number of boxes it checked.
- It made Ward just the fifth player whose first MLB home run was part of a cycle. (It’s happened three more times since.)
- It gave him the earliest career cycle (14th career game) in a nine-inning game. (The Cardinals’ Cliff Heathcote hit for a cycle in his sixth career MLB game – June 13, 1918 – but that was a 19-inning contest. He finished his cycle in the 11th)
- Twenty-four seasons later (May 26, 2004), Ward’s son Daryle Ward – starting at 1B and hitting third for the Pirates – hit for the cycle in a 11-8 Pirates’ win over the Cardinals. This made Gary Ward part of the first father-son duo to both hit for an MLB cycle. (Craig and Cavan Biggio have since joined that list.)
Gary Ward was signed, at the age of 19, as an amateur free-agent (Twins) on August 29, 1972, and got his first call up to the major leagues in 1979 (hitting .286-0-1 for the Twins in ten September games after .263-13-67, with 17 steals in 139 games at Triple- A Toledo). It was back to Triple-A in 1980, where a .282-13-66, 26-steal season got him another September call up. This time, he went .463-1-10 (including his cycle) and was in the major leagues to stay.
Ward played 12 MLB seasons (1979-90 … Twins, Rangers, Yankees, Tigers). He was a two-time All Star. His best season was 1982 (Twins), when he went .289-28-91, with 13 steals. His career MLB stat line was .276-130-597, with 83 steals and 594 runs scored. For those who like to know such things, his son Daryle played in 11 MLB campaigns (1998-2008 … Astros, Pirates, Nationals, Braves, Cubs), going .263-90-379.
For inquiring minds:
- The oldest player to hit for an MLB cycle is Dave Winfield, who did it at 39 years – 264 days of age. (June 24, 1991 for the Angels);
- The youngest player to hit for an MLB cycle was Mel Ott (20 years – 75 days), for the Giants on May 16, 1920;
- The most cycles in an MLB career is three – Bob Meusel, Babe Herman, Adrian Beltre, Trea Turner and Christian Yelich;
- The most cycles in a season is two – Babe Heerman (1931 Dodgers); Aaron Hill (2912 Diamondbacks) and Christian Yelich (2018 Brewers).
As Always, One Things Leads to Another – or The Yellow Jersey of Cycles
On June 18, 2000, Colorado Rockies’ 2B Mike Lansing completed the quickest MLB cycle ever – accomplishing the feat in just four innings. Lansing, hitting second in the order, hit an RBI triple to right in the first inning (getting the most difficult leg of the cycle out of the way ) on a 1-2 pitch, added a two-run home run (0-1 pitch) in the bottom of the second, hit a two-run double (2-2 pitch) in the bottom of the third (as the Rockies scored nine times to take a 14-1 lead), and then completed the cycle with a single (another 1-2 offering) to right in the fourth. Lansing then struck out in the sixth, before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth. Lansing ended the day four-for-five, with three runs scored and five RBI, as the Rockies torched the Diamondbacks 19-2 in Denver. Lansing played nine mLB seasons (1993-2001 … Expos, Rockies, Red Sox), going .271-84-440, with 119 steals and 554 runs scored (in 1,110 games).
More one thing lead to another. On June 27, 2003 Red Sox’ CF (and leadoff hitter) Johnny Damon nearly completed a cycle in the first inning of a game against the Marlins (in Boston). He led off the bottom of the first with a double to right (on a 2-2 pitch from Carl Pavano). Eight batters, seven hits, one walk and seven runs later, Damon hit a two-run triple to right (on a 2-2 pitch Michael Tejera). Eight batters, three hits, three walks, two outs and four runs after that, Damon hit a single to left on a 1-2 pitch from Allen Levrault), The bases were loaded at the time and the runner from second was thrown out trying to score (ending the inning, with the score Red Sox 14 – Marlins 1). Damon came to the plate four more times in the game and collected a pair of singles (but no cycle). Boston’s 14 first-inning runs tied AL the record for runs scored in the first inning of a game. The BoSox eventually won 25-8. Damon, a two-time All Star, played 18 MLB seasons (1995-2012 … Royals, A’s, Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, Indians), going .284-235-1,139, with 408 steals and 1,668 runs scored in 2,490 games. He scored 100 or more runs in ten seasons (nine consecutively … 1998-2006); hit .300+ in five seasons and stole 25 or more bases ten times.
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