ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Not many teams can claim having a no-hitter, franchise-record losing streak, firing a manager and then having a player hit for the cycle in the span of nearly five weeks.
Well, the Los Angeles Angels can.
Jared Walsh continued one of the wildest spans in franchise history by hitting for the cycle as the Halos rolled to an 11-6 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday night. It was the ninth cycle in franchise history and the first since Shohei Ohtani in 2019.
Walsh went 4 for 5 and drove in three runs. He completed the cycle with a two-run triple in the eighth inning after Mets center fielder Khalil Lee failed to make a diving catch.
“I thought about it a little bit, but I just wanted to put the barrel on the ball,” Walsh said about coming up to the plate in the eighth. “I was making pretty good contact so I felt like if I got something over the plate, I might have a chance to drive it.”
Angels manager Phil Nevin said as soon as he saw Lee try to dive for the ball, he knew Walsh would complete the cycle.
“I yelled ‘cycle’ right when he dove. Cycles are more rare than a no-hitter, I’ve only seen one other one,” Nevin said.
It was the seventh cycle in Angel Stadium history and the fifth by an Angels player. Mike Trout was the last player to have a cycle at The Big A in 2013.
Trout was the game’s biggest story until Walsh’s cycle. Trout returned to the lineup and had his 23rd career multi-home run game.
“It’s good to see when he starts to swing it like that. We saw it last year. Once he gets it rolling, its fun to watch,” said Trout, who had three hits and drove in three runs.
Trout, who missed three games due to right groin tightness, helped power a five-homer onslaught for the Angels. It is the second time they have gone deep five times this…