On Friday night, outfielder Matt Kemp completed the first cycle in Padres history, helping his team beat the Rockies at Coors Field. Kemp entered his final at-bat in the top half of the ninth needing a triple for the cycle. Triples are the rarest leg of the cycle.* The once-speedy Kemp used to be good for five-to-seven triples in a given season, but had registered no more than three since 2012 as he’s had a handful of lower-half injuries. The odds were pretty stacked against Kemp tripling.
Kemp didn’t get the memo. With a runner on first base and one out, Kemp drilled a Justin Miller slider to right-center. Center fielder Charlie Blackmon watched the fly ball carom off of the top of the wall and bounce back towards dead center. It was at that point that Kemp’s triple became all but guaranteed. He coasted into third base without a relay throw to complete the first cycle in the 47-year history of the Padres.
Adding even more entertainment value to the feat was listening to the FOX Sports San Diego broadcast team’s enthusiasm. Watch and listen:
[mlbvideo id="369923883" width="600" height="336" /]
*According to Baseball Reference, a National League game this season has averaged 5.87 singles, 1.65 doubles, 0.90 home runs, and 0.19 triples.
