3:40 AM UTC
BALTIMORE — The one factor which may have saved Orioles heart fielder Austin Hays from hitting for the cycle was the rain.
Not even Mom Nature stood an opportunity.
With three-quarters of the cycle accomplished earlier than a 44-minute delay in Wednesday evening’s rain-shortened 7-0 win the Nationals at Camden Yards, Hays wanted just one extra at-bat — not a given, contemplating the rain nonetheless within the forecast — to finish the eleventh cycle in franchise historical past (the sixth since transferring to Baltimore) and the primary of his profession.
By the point Hays pulled into second base for a sixth-inning double, having lasered a slider from Nats reliever Steve Cishek 101.8 mph (per Statcast) into heart area, he flashed the Orioles’ trademark goggles celebration again to the dugout, his teammates all of the extra excited to have fun what Wednesday resembled: that Hays could also be taking part in his means towards an All-Star nod.
Even had Hays not cycled — the primary by an Orioles participant since Jonathan Villar on Aug. 5, 2019 — the 26-year-old had been incomes reward from teammates and coaches alike for entrance to the Midsummer Traditional. A cycle merely helps his trigger within the loudest of five-tool manners — and all it took him was 4 at-bats in six innings.
It began with a first-inning leadoff single towards Washington left-hander Patrick Corbin. Shortly after, Hays crossed the plate on Ryan Mountcastle’s double for the sport’s first run.
Hays then bought the exhausting elements of the cycle finished rapidly, homering off Corbin previous “Walltimore” in left area within the third and tripling off the right-field wall an inning later. His double within the sixth hours lengthy after the beginning of this soggy recreation sealed the deal and continued his sensational begin to the season — all coming 24 hours faraway from a four-strikeout displaying in Tuesday’s loss to the Nats.
Together with Hays, the Brewers’ Christian Yelich (Might 11, third profession cycle), the Mets’ Eduardo Escobar (June 6) and the Angels’ Jared Walsh (June 11) have hit for the cycle this season.
