Hitting for the cycle is incredibly rare in baseball, but don’t tell that to Jake Bauers. Just one day after Shohei Ohtani became the first Japanese-born player to accomplish the feat, Bauers hit a cycle of his own. According to MLB.com’s Mandy Bell, Bauers is the first Indian to hit for the cycle since Rajai Davis in 2016.
Jake Bauers has hit for the cycle with a two-run homer in the eighth. He's the first Indian to accomplish the feat since Rajai Davis in 2016.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) June 15, 2019
Jake Bauers needed a homer for the cycle …
He got it. 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ac3ZcZeY8I
— MLB (@MLB) June 15, 2019
Cleveland Indians’ Jake Bauers Hits For the Cycle
Bauer’s big night began in the second inning when he launched a double to right field. He followed that up with an infield single and a triple, both coming in the fourth inning. After striking out in the sixth inning, Bauers launched a 406-foot home run to right field, driving in Jose Ramirez and officially earning the cycle.
Bauer was far from the only Indian with a big night. Through eight innings, the Indians managed to put up 13 runs against the 25-40 Detroit Tigers. The offense as a whole went nuts against Detroit’s pitching staff, putting up eight runs in the fourth inning alone. With the (presumed) victory, Cleveland advances to 35-33 on the season and remains in the thick of the Wild Card hunt. Detroit, meanwhile, is already assured to have one of the top picks in the 2020 MLB Draft.
This impressive night was a much-needed performance for Bauers. Entering the game, the 23-year old lefty owned an unremarkable .209/.294/.346 slash line with a corresponding 70 wRC+ in 238 plate appearances. His struggles were emblematic of the entire Indians roster, as the club has been one of the more inconsistent offenses in the league.
Bauers is in his first year with the Cleveland Indians. The young lefty spent 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays but arrived in Cleveland as part of the Edwin Encarnacion trade. Cleveland received Bauers while Seattle received Encarnacion and Tampa Bay received Yandy Diaz and Cole Sulser.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
