Yoenis Cespedes hits three homers, flirts with two cycles in historic performance
Not surprisingly, Coors Field and Yoenis Cespedes proved to be a good mix for the New York Mets on Friday.
The Cuban outfielder, whom the Mets acquired from the Detroit Tigers ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, had a career night, going 5-for-6 with three home runs, five runs scored, seven runs driven in and one stolen base during the Mets 14-9 victory against the Rockies.
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]
Did we say career night? We actually meant a historic night, as Cespedes entered some elite territory while challenging Mets franchise records.
The stolen base makes the overall performance very rare. Removing the steal and the five hits, Cespedes is the ninth player ever with at least five runs, seven RBI and three homers in the same game. Shawn Green was the most recent on May 23, 2002.
In addition to the home runs, Cespedes added a single and a double, giving him 15 total bases. That nearly made Mets history.
The accolades nearly extended beyond total bases and all those other big numbers. Cespedes had two opportunities to become the 17th player to hit four home runs in a single game. The most recent was Josh Hamilton, who hit four home runs with the Rangers against the Baltimore Orioles on May 8, 2012.
Here’s the kicker though. Cespedes started his barrage with a grand slam in the second inning, before adding a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run shot in the sixth. That left him just a three-run homer away from becoming the first major leaguer to hit for the home run cycle.
[Check out Big League Stew on Tumblr for even more baseball awesomeness.]
The opportunity to complete that historic feat never lined up, but Cespedes did have two more at-bats following his third home run. He singled leading off the eighth, which left him a triple shy of the regular cycle. He made a bid for that in the ninth inning, but Carlos Gonzalez ran down his line drive at the warning track to prevent extra bases.
To sum up the performance, Cespedes was simply unstoppable. In one night, he brought a little bit of everything to the Mets lineup, which is exactly why they were so excited to add him. But it didn’t end there. It was a game for the ages, and the Mets are hoping there’s more where it came from this weekend and in the future.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
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
