New York Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar became the second player to hit for the cycle this season on Monday night, accomplishing the feat in an 11-5 victory against the San Diego Padres (box score).
Escobar singled to right-center in the top of the first inning. He then doubled to left center in the top of the fourth inning. Both of those knocks came against Padres starter Blake Snell, who was out of the game by the time Escobar took his third at-bat of the night. (He popped-up against San Diego reliever Steven Wilson.) Escobar later homered against Craig Stammen in the eighth inning, and then tripled against Tim Hill in the top of the ninth to give the Mets a 9-5 lead.
Here’s a look at Escobar’s cycle-capping triple:
Escobar, 33 years old, entered the night having batted .227/.300/.374 (93 OPS+) with four home runs and 18 runs batted in across 223 plate appearances this season. The Mets, of course, signed Escobar to a two-year deal over the course of the offseason that will pay him $20 million guaranteed. That pact includes a club option for the 2024 season that includes a buyout worth $500,000.
Previously, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich had been the only player this Major League Baseball season to record a cycle. He did so on May 11 against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Mets entered the night with a 37-19 record on the season, giving them an 8 1/2 game lead in the National League East. They’ll continue their three-game series against the Padres on Tuesday.
The Padres, meanwhile, came into Monday with a 33-21 record, putting them in second place in the National League West, two games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
