The Toronto Blue Jays have three sons of former baseball All-Stars, and in two cases, sons of Hall of Famers. They seem bound to have some special father-son records, and the first of those came Tuesday night in Baltimore. That’s where Cavan Biggio followed the footsteps of his father, Craig Biggio, by hitting for the cycle.
They’re the second father and son to each hit for the cycle. Craig Biggio accomplished his cycle at Coors Field in Denver on April 8, 2002. The only other father-son to do so were Gary Ward (for the Twins on Sept. 19, 1980) and son Daryle Ward (for the Pirates on May 26, 2004).
1B ✅
2B ✅
3B ✅
HR ✅Cavan Biggio has hit for the cycle! pic.twitter.com/yqNYCz0jVW
— MLB (@MLB) September 18, 2019
Youth reigns
Biggio has had an up-and-down first half-season in the Major Leagues. He came up to Toronto on May 24 and enjoyed a very solid first month in the big leagues. He cooled off in July and August but has heated up in September, going 13-for-39 with a .667 slugging percentage.
That includes Tuesday’s big night, of course. Biggio actually started with a first-inning strikeout, but in his second at-bat, in the third inning, he powered a two-run homer out to center field to give the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead.
He singled, stole a base in the fifth, but the cycle still seemed far off when the game got to the eighth inning. That’s when Biggio doubled — and stole another base, making him only the second player to steal two bases the same game as a cycle.
Three of the first five Blue Jays reached in the ninth inning, giving Biggio one last chance. He hit his second career triple to left field, driving in two runs and etching his name into the record books.
Since 1908, Cavan Biggio is just the 2nd player to record multiple stolen bases with a cycle, joining catcher Charlie Moore for Milwaukee in 1980 https://t.co/AJjaKYG49c #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/AYtHxIO4aw
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) September 18, 2019
The way-back machine
Perhaps it’s somewhat surprising that no other father-son duo besides the Wards and Biggios have each completed the cycle.
Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. once hit back-to-back homers for the Seattle Mariners, but neither ever had a cycle in his career. None of the other famous baseball families have a cycle, either: The Alomars, the Alous, the Boones.
But the Biggios and Wards might have more company soon: Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and Dante Bichette each hit for the cycle during their careers, so if Vlad Jr. or Bo Bichette can do it at some point in their promising futures, the Blue Jays can have another family celebration.
With Cavan Biggio hitting for the cycle for the #Jays, he and his dad, Craig, are only the second father-son combo to ever do it. Vlad Guerrero Sr and Dante Bichette both hit for cycle in their careers and Vlad Jr and Bo Bichette are good candidates to do it as well. Stay tuned!
— Steve Phillips (@StevePhillipsGM) September 18, 2019
