Three months into his rookie year, Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford has done something very special. To set the scene, the Rangers are finishing a three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles on the road. In the top of the eighth, Langford blasted a three-run homer to left off Orioles reliever Matt Krook to give the Rangers an 11–2 lead, and ultimately the win. This was no ordinary home run, however. This dinger completed the cycle for Langford and sent the crowd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards into the frenzy of all frenzies. Robbie Grossman and Adolis Garcia reached on a fielding error and walk, respectively prior to Langford’s plate appearance. If that wasn’t enough, he also drove in four runs and scored three more as part of his phenomenal evening.
Langford’s Moment of Glory
Sunday was the first four-hit game of Langford’s young career. It was also the first cycle in the major leagues this season. Wyatt Langford began his evening in the top of the fourth, when he tripled to left off Orioles starter Cole Irvin. He followed that up by plating Garcia with a double to right off Orioles reliever Nick Vespi in the top of the fifth. He then hit an infield single to short in the top of the sixth against reliever Dillon Tate before his homer in the eighth. It happened on the national stage, as the game was televised on ESPN. Interestingly enough, it was the first cycle ever to occur on their Sunday Night Baseball coverage.
At 22-years, 229 days old, Langford is the youngest Rangers rookie to hit for the cycle since Oddibe McDowell did it in 1985 against the then-Cleveland Indians. He recorded his in his 59th career game; Langford had his in his 60th career game. Wyatt Langford is also the first Ranger to hit for the cycle since Carlos Gomez on April 29, 2017 against the Los Angeles Angels. Langford is the 11th player in Rangers history to hit for the cycle, since Adrian Beltre did it twice. The others are Shin-Soo Choo, Alex Rios, Bengie Molina, Ian Kinsler, Gary Matthews Jr., Mark Teixeira, and Jim King.
Sunday night, the Rangers also got two homers from Derek Hill and a strong Andrew Heaney start in a badly-needed win. They scored their most runs in a game since May 8, when they beat the Oakland Athletics in the second game of a doubleheader in Oakland. According to @EliasSports, Langford is the first rookie in Major League Baseball history with a cycle, grand slam, and inside-the-park home run in a season.
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