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WASHINGTON – In the first half of the season, Jake Cronenworth became an All-Star. One night in the second half, he made history.
Cronenworth only recorded the third round in Padres history against the Nationals in DC on Friday night. He doubled up in the second inning, tripled in the third and hit a homer in the fifth, before releasing a single in the infield in the sixth to complete the feat.
In the process, Cronenworth joined Matt Kemp and Wil Myers as the only Padres with a cycle. Cronenworth is the first to do so outside of Coors Field in Colorado (where, coincidentally, he spent a few days earlier this week, enjoying his first All-Star Game experience).
Cronenworth’s hit to end the round came in the Padres’ sixth inning of six points, giving them a 19-4 lead. The Nationals chose to play with the third base sack, leaving the entire left side exposed. Cronenworth hit one with the end of the stick, a dribbler to the left side, and the Nationals’ Alcides Escobar did not play.
In fact, Cronenworth could have finished his cycle a few innings earlier, but Trea Turner jumped from a shortstop to steal a single early in the first inning. Turner, coincidentally, is the only other MLB player to hit for the cycle this season. Turner marked his third career cycle on June 30.
It’s the final chapter in a remarkable story for Cronenworth, who was seen as a trade throwback that marked the Rays’ Tommy Pham two dead seasons ago. Cronenworth hasn’t stopped hitting since.
As such, Friday night was mostly the same from Cronenworth, who has been scorching all season. He came into play on Friday with a slash of 0.276 / 0.350 / 0.459, and he made his first All-Star game on Tuesday night.
Kemp completed the Padres’ first cycle on August 14, 2015. Myers completed cycle # 2 on April 10, 2017.
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