Going back to back in hitting for the Cycle does not happen very often in MLB, so this is truly a great moment in the history of the game.
MLB.com reports:
The way Cleveland’s No. 6 prospect, Bobby Bradley, is hitting in Triple-A has put Jake Bauers, who has struggled so far offensively this season, on the hot seat. But on Friday, Bauers silenced the naysayers.
Bauers hit for the cycle in the series opener against the Tigers, capping it off with a two-run homer in the eighth off Blaine Hardy. Bauers hit an RBI double in his first at-bat in the second and an infield single in the fourth before his team batted around, allowing him to record an RBI triple later that inning. The Indians rolled to a 13-4 victory.
“That’s something I never even thought about, hitting for the cycle,” Bauers said. “So to do it ... I don’t know. I don’t know what to say about it. Pretty speechless. Just happy, excited.”
The 23-year-old is the first Indians hitter to accomplish the feat since Rajai Davis on July 2, 2016. Bauers followed the Angels' Shohei Ohtani, who hit for the cycle on Thursday, becoming the first pair to do so on consecutive days since Tris Speaker and Chief Meyers on June 9-10, 1912.
“I mean everybody was thrilled for him, myself included,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “It certainly helped lead us to a win, but just to see him swing kind of free and easy and to use the opposite field ... That was really good to see.”
The homer
When Bauers dove into third after serving his triple into left-center field, his mind immediately focused on the cycle. But in his final at-bat, he tried to ignore it. That was, until Shane Bieber stepped in.
“I was talking to him before I went up there and I told him, ‘I don’t know man, I think I’m just going to try and stay left-center and get a base hit where the shortstop should be,’” Bauers said. “And he’s like, ‘Dude, you've got to try to hit a homer.’”
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