Cody Bellinger becomes first Dodgers rookie to hit for cycle
Those concerned about Cody Bellinger’s participation in the Home Run Derby impacting his second half performance can rest easy tonight. The Los Angeles Dodgers rookie’s swing looked as sweet as ever Saturday when he became the first Dodgers rookie to complete the cycle during a 7-1 win against the Miami Marlins.
Bellinger’s cycle is already the fifth in MLB this season, joining the likes of Wil Myers, Trea Turner, Carlos Gomez and Nolan Arenado. That’s already the most in a single season since 2009 when there were nine.
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More amazing than that, it’s only the fifth by a Dodgers player since World War II. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he joins Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, Wes Parker and Orlando Hudson in that category. Parker and Hudson had the Dodgers only two cycles after moving to Los Angeles.
Bellinger wasn’t one for drama either. He had the cycle wrapped up by the seventh inning after lining a triple that just skimmed the top of Giancarlo Stanton’s glove in right field. Once the baseball cleared Stanton’s glove, Bellinger turned on the jets and cruised into the third base with his second career triple.
Bellinger started his historic night with a first-inning single against Marlins starter Jose Urena. In the third inning, he started a five-run rally by launching his 26th home run of the season. The double came one inning later, leading up to his triple leading off the seventh.
Bellinger finished the game 4-for-5 with three runs batted in and two runs scored. His offense supported starting pitcher Alex Wood, who improved to 11-0 after throwing six scoreless innings.
For Bellinger, it’s just the latest achievement in what has been a remarkable rookie season. If his chances for the Rookie of the Year award were already rock solid, then this night may have cemented them.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
