Eduardo Escobar Becomes First New York Mets Player to hit for Cycle in 10 Years
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The Mets have endured a number of special occurrences throughout the first 57 games of the regular season, from historic comebacks to combined no-hitters. Now you can add a cycle to the equation.
Eduardo Escobar permanently cemented himself in Mets history forever on Monday night, becoming the first Met to hit for the cycle since Jerry Hairston Jr. did it 10 years ago in 2012. He is the 11th Met to accomplish this feat for the franchise, and the second player to hit for the cycle in Major League Baseball this season.
The 33-year-old third baseman carved up the Padres' pitching staff, going 4-for-5 with six RBIs and three runs scored, becoming oldest player to accomplish this RBI and run scoring total in a cycle since the great Joe DiMaggio did it at the same age in 1948, per Greg Harvey of Sports Reference.
The Mets held a 5-2 lead in this game until Escobar's two-run blast game them additional breathing room. This proved to make a difference, as reliever Drew Smith surrendered a three-run homer, which cut the deficit to just two runs.
In the ninth inning, Escobar needed the most difficult type of hit to complete the cycle, a triple, and he would indeed get it. Escobar shot one to the opposite field that was just out of the reach of the right fielder Nomar Mazara, thus bouncing up against the wall and rolling away into no man's land. This allowed Escobar to get to third and notch a rare accomplishment. It also gave the Mets two very important insurance runs.
Despite enduring a prolonged slump, Escobar's bat has since caught fire. Over the course of his past seven games, the switch-hitter is slashing .345/.333/.759 with three homers and 10 RBIs. He is also 20 for his last 62 (.323), raising his numbers on the season to .241/.311/.414 with a .725 OPS, five long balls and 24 RBIs.
The Mets picked up their third straight win on Monday night, taking the series opener in San Diego from the Padres by a score of 11-5 at Petco Park. New York holds both the best record and winning percentage in the National League at 38-19 and are a season-high 19 games over .500 with a nine game lead in their division.
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