Hitting for the cycle isn’t a totally meaningful stat — it’d be better to just hit three home runs, obviously — but there’s something cool about it, and it’s almost as rare as a no-hitter throughout baseball history. And Thursday’s night’s cycle was different: Of the 326 cycles in Major League history, this was the first by a Japanese-born player. Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, whom you remember as the two-way player they signed two years ago, can’t pitch this year because of injury but boy, can he still hit. Speaking of history, the Royals and Tigers played MLB’s first regular-season game in the state of Nebraska. Elsewhere, Cody Bellinger got hot again and rain suspended the Cardinals-Mets game at an inconvenient point.
Ohtani started with the homer, then hit the double, the triple and finally the single. He had the cycle by the seventh inning.
Shohei Ohtani is the 1st Angel to hit for the cycle since Mike Trout did in 2013. pic.twitter.com/ye3eDzm2ws
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) June 14, 2019
Nicky Lopez went to college at Creighton, so he’s familiar with TD Ameritrade Park. That showed in Kansas City’s win over Detroit in the first big-league game in Omaha as the city gears up for the College World Series.
Thanks to @nick3lopez and @WhitMerrifield for their time in this postgame interview, on a memorable night for #MLBinOmaha: https://t.co/lCT7btLIXo @MLBNetwork @MLB @Royals
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 14, 2019
Mets closer Edwin Diaz couldn’t hold a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning, and when the Cardinals tied it, the rain forced a suspension. The teams will pick up in the bottom of the ninth today.
The Mets had a 4-2 lead when the game was suspended in the ninth. They demanded to finish the game. You’ll never believe what happened next. https://t.co/fhWnMIIt2I
— NY Daily News Sports (@NYDNSports) June 14, 2019
Cody Bellinger hadn’t homered since May 28 and was going through a legitimate slump. Then he homered twice against the Cubs. Slump over?
And then Cody Bellinger homered again.
He might be back.
(Via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/Z4E6RNyPzl
— Yahoo Sports MLB (@MLByahoosports) June 14, 2019
Speaking of the Dodgers, they got some good news when an MRI unveiled that Corey Seager’s hamstring strain isn’t as bad as originally thought.
#Dodgers were somewhat encouraged after Corey Seager had his MRI.https://t.co/Pi42iCKCEb pic.twitter.com/CN4pDdYMIG
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) June 14, 2019
TOP STORIES
• Angels’ Ohtani first Japanese player to hit for cycle | Associated Press
• Cards rally in rain, game vs Mets suspended in 9th tied at 4 | Associated Press
