Matt Kemp hits for first cycle in Padres’ history
Entering play on Friday, the San Diego Padres were the only franchise in Major League Baseball without a no-hitter and one of only two franchises without a cycle, along with the Miami Marlins.
In their 47th season, playing game No. 7,442, they can finally cross the latter off the list.
Matt Kemp, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers during the offseason to provide some offensive punch, did just that, hitting for the cycle in Friday’s 9-5 win against the Colorado Rockies.
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Of course, Kemp saved the most dramatic hit for last, and waited until the very last inning to get it. He tripled off the wall in deep right center against Rockies reliever Justin Miller in the ninth, driving in his fourth run and San Diego’s final run in the game.
There was drama on the play as well, as Kemp’s drive drove center fielder Charlie Blackmon to the wall. Blackmon was unable to run it down, and was then rendered helpless as the ball deflected off the wall and rolled toward center field. By the time Blackmon chased it down, Kemp was rounding second and cruising.
Kemp started his historic game with a mammoth 441-foot home run to straight away center field in the first inning. That staked the Padres to an early 2-0 lead. He followed with a single in the third and an RBI double in the seventh. In between, Kemp grounded out to shortstop.
Though Coors Field has now surrendered 14 cycles since opening in 1995 — including one by Shin-Soo Choo on July 21 — we wouldn’t necessarily call Kemp’s cycle a product of the ballpark. Though the spacious outfield certainly didn’t hurt, Kemp didn’t gain any advantages from the thin air. He was just locked in, as he typically is in Denver.
The 14 cycles at Coors Field are far and away the most at any ballpark since it opened 20 years ago. With 17 cycles, Fenway Park is the only active ballpark that has more. Of course, we all know Fenway has been around a lot longer, opening in 1912.
Kemp’s cycle is the fourth in MLB this season and the first by a National League player. We mentioned Choo’s cycle at Coors Field. Brock Holt and Adrian Beltre, who now has three for his career, were the others this season. The last NL cycle came nearly one year ago when Michael Cuddyer, then of the Colorado Rockies, did it on Aug. 17.
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There have also been four no-hitters in MLB this season, with Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma pitching the most recent on Wednesday.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
