Molina Hits For Cycle

[AyronTheGreat]

BOSTON (AP)—When slow-footed Bengie Molina(notes) went to the plate needing a triple to hit for the cycle in cozy Fenway Park, his manager had a question for Michael Young(notes).

“Where do you think he has to hit it for a triple?” Ron Washington asked his third baseman. “He said, `Nowhere in this ballpark.”’







Ian Kinsler(notes), the last Texas Ranger to hit for the cycle, was equally pessimistic.

“I would have bet everything I own that Bengie Molina would never hit for the cycle,” he said with a smile. “Ever.”

Molina surprised them both and powered Texas to an 8-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night, becoming the eighth player and first catcher since 1900 to hit for the cycle with a grand slam. The last player to do that was Minnesota’s Jason Kubel(notes) on April 17, 2009.

Molina completed his feat in the eighth inning when he hit Ramon Ramirez’s(notes) pitch to the deepest part of Fenway into the center field triangle 420 feet from home. The ball bounced off the glove of Eric Patterson(notes) for only the sixth triple of Molina’s career.

“When I saw the ball going away from him, I just put my head down and kept going,” Molina said. “For a guy who has been criticized for his speed for 11 1/2 years and may be the slowest guy in the world, it was an unbelievable feeling.”

Molina, obtained from the San Francisco Giants on July 1 to shore up a team weakness at catcher, looked over his right shoulder at Patterson as he rounded second and lumbered into third then smiled at teammates in the dugout. A few pitches later, he left the game with tightness in his right quadriceps after slipping rounding first.

He was replaced by pinch-runner Joaquin Arias(notes), who scored the final run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Young.

Molina is the fifth player in Rangers history to hit for the cycle and the first since Kinsler on April 15, 2009. The triple was Molina’s first since April 29, 2009. The last catcher to hit for the cycle was Chad Moeller(notes) with Milwaukee against Cincinnati on April 27, 2004. And the last visitor to hit for the cycle at Fenway Park was Cleveland’s Andre Thornton on April 2, 1978.

But Molina said the grand slam meant more. It came in the five-run fifth and broke a 3-3 tie.

“That was more special than the cycle actually, because it put us ahead,” he said.

One night earlier, he capped a six-run first inning with a two-run homer and the Rangers went on to a 7-2 win.

“The last two nights every mistake we make he hits,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “He’s knocking the ball all over the ballpark.”

Molina’s brother Yadier had a pretty good game himself for St. Louis on Friday, homering and driving in four runs in the Cardinals’ 8-4 win over Los Angeles.

“He did? That’s awesome,” Yadier Molina(notes) said when told about his brother’s big game.

Molina hits for cycle as Rangers beat Red Sox 8-4 - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

kudos to Molina. I think hitting for the cycle is prolly the most underrated accomplishment in-game a player can have.

[OSUGiants]

Good for him. It was great hearing the announcers on his triple "Could this be a cycle? You got the triple Bengie! Come on big guy, you got this!" "Come on kiddo hustle it up" "BENGIE MOLINA HAS HIT FOR THE CYCLE! Pigs have flown in Boston!"

[AyronTheGreat]

lol. Really??? That's pretty funny. Molina is definitely the LAST guy I'd think to stretch a triple out. But hey, I've seen Brian McCann do it a few times and he's slow as shit so of course it's possible!

[DeathToFredWilpon]

Yeah, Molina is so slow lol...hilarious

[celticfan]

boston is really falling apart