Texas Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo accomplished a rare feat in a 9-0 win against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night. Not only did the veteran hit for the cycle, he did so needing a triple in his last at-bat to finish off the grand night.
Choo knocked in Elvis Andrus with a double in the first inning before hitting a solo homer to lead off the fourth inning against Rockies starter Kyle Kendrick. He then pushed a single past a diving DJ LeMahieu in the fifth to pull to within a triple of the eighth cycle in Rangers franchise history.
After grounding out in the seventh, Choo led off the ninth against Rockies left-handed reliever Rex Brothers. He drove the ball over the head of Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon, who proceeded to misplay the carom off the wall. The result was Choo’s second triple of the season and his first career cycle.
Not only was this just the third cycle in the Majors since the start of the 2014 season, it was one of the most improbable in recent history. A ton of players have stepped up to the plate needing a triple to complete this rare feat, very few find a way to get that elusive hit.
More than that, Choo came into Tuesday’s game having hit just .153 against left-handed pitchers on the season. Considering he was facing a pitcher in Brothers who had yielded one triple in nearly 400 plate appearances against lefties in his career, this was about as rare as it gets.
Courtesy of USA Today Sports