Adrian Beltre – Solid credentialq with the bat and the glove.
Adrian Beltre tied a MLB record yesterday (August 3) – as his Rangers topped the Astros 12-9 – becoming just the fourth player to hit for the cycle (single, double, triple, home run in a game) three times in a career. The 36-year-old Beltre, in his 18th major league season, joins John Reilly, Babe Herman and Bob Meusel with three career cycles. Beltre hit a triple in the first inning (getting the hard one out of the way, especially on 36-year-old legs), a double in the second, a single in the third and a home run in the fifth. For the game, he went four-for-five, with two runs scored and three RBI. Here are a few bits of trivia related to Beltre’s achievement:
– Despite completing his cycle in the first five innings, Beltre does not have the fastest cycle in MLB history. That distinction goes to Rockies’ Mike Lansing. On June 18, 2000, Lansing completed the cycle in just four innings – as the Rockies topped the Diamondbacks 19-2. In that game, Lansing went four-for-five with three runs scored and five RBI. Lansing could have done more damage, but was lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth.
– Beltre’s three cycles have come on September 1, 2008 (for the Mariners against the Rangers); August 24, 2012 (for the Rangers against the Twins); and August 3, 2015 (for the Rangers against the Astros).
– All three of Beltre’s cycles have come at Arlington, making him the only player to hit for multiple cycles in the same park for more than one team. (As BBRT maintains, in baseball, we keep track of pretty much everything.)
– In his three cycles, Beltre has gone thirteen-for-fifteen (.867), with eight runs, nine RBI and three doubles, three triples, three home runs.
Beltre, by the way, is somewhat quietly building a resume that should earn him serious Hall of Fame consideration. To date, he had 2,697 hits; 404 home runs; 1, 304 runs scored; and 1,414 RBI – to go with a .284 career average. He’s a four-time All Star; four-time Gold Glove winner; and has led his league in hits, doubles and home runs once each. In addition to now being one of just four players to hit for the cycle three times, he is also one of only five players to hit 100 or more home runs for three different teams (Dodgers, Marines, Rangers); joining Darrell Evans (Braves, Giants, Tigers); Reggie Jackson (A’s, Angels, Yankees); Jim Thome (Indians, Phillies, White Sox); and Alex Rodriguez (Rangers, Mariners, Yankees). While not a likely first-ballot electee, reaching 3,000 hits and 1,500 RBI should give Beltre a solid shot at the Hall.
For you trivia buffs, thanks to the Cubs’ long-time reluctance to install lights, Tim Foli of the Montreal Expos is the only MLBer to start a cycle on one day and complete it the next. On April 21, 1976, Foli collected a single, double and triple against the Cubs before the game was suspended due to darkness (top of the seventh. with the Expos up 11-3). When play resumed on April 22, Foli added an eighth-inning home run – completing a somewhat unnatural “natural” (single, double, triple, home run in that order) cycle. To date there have been just 14 natural cycles in MLB history. The Expos, by the way, won the game 12-6.
