WEST SACRAMENTO -- Carson Kelly wasn¡¯t done.
Late in the Cubs¡¯ 18-3 win over the Athletics on Monday at Sutter Health Park, there wasn¡¯t much left to be decided in terms of the outcome. But the Chicago catcher still had something left to do.
When his line drive to right-center field smacked off the fence and bounded away from A¡¯s center fielder JJ Bleday, Kelly rounded first base and realized he had the chance to accomplish something truly special. And he wasn¡¯t going to miss it.
¡°I hit first and I saw it ricochet, and I was like, ¡®Oh, boy, this is it. Right here. I gotta go,¡¯¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s probably the fastest you¡¯ll ever see me run.¡±
Kelly sped around second base and powered (as fast as a catcher with 12th-percentile sprint speed can) into third standing up. Smiling and breathing hard, he pumped his arms in a celebration aimed at a pumped-up Chicago dugout.
He¡¯d just completed the first cycle by a Cubs hitter since Mark Grace on May 9, 1993 -- more than a year before Kelly was born.
¡°It¡¯s not very often that somebody hits for a cycle,¡± Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said. ¡°It¡¯s an amazing accomplishment. It¡¯s just a really cool moment, and I¡¯m happy for him.¡±
Kelly homered in the fourth inning, singled in the fifth and roped a double in the sixth. He knew he was a triple shy of the cycle, a position in which he¡¯d found himself as recently as last September. With just two career three-baggers, though, Kelly knew the odds were slim.
¡°The two times I had triples, both guys fell down -- like, ran into the wall and fell down,¡± he said.
Not this time. Kelly¡¯s 104.8 mph triple in the eighth was just part of the offensive onslaught as the Cubs equaled their 2024 season-highs for runs (18) and hits (21), both of which were set Aug. 26 in Pittsburgh.
¡°It was a fun night,¡± Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. ¡°We played a really good baseball game, and everybody that got in the game did something good.¡±
That extended from hitters like Kelly, Kyle Tucker (4-for-7 with three RBIs) and Michael Busch (3-for-6 with a homer and four RBIs) to pitchers Ben Brown, Julian Merryweather and Colin Rea.
Brown battled back after allowing a solo home run in the third inning and two runs in the fourth to complete five innings in his first start of 2025. He struck out five.
After Merryweather pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, Rea provided a considerable service to his club by shutting down the A¡¯s for the final three innings. Not only did Rea end up getting a ninth-inning at-bat (he struck out), but he even earned a save.
¡°It¡¯s one of those things that¡¯s like a footnote in the game, but you go three innings and nothing else happens, nobody gets up, that¡¯s a big deal for the rest of the staff, and it really resets us and puts us in a good position for the next two days,¡± Counsell said. ¡°You win by a lot and it seems like an easy win, but that three innings from Colin is a big deal tonight.¡±
Monday¡¯s rout did in fact seem like a trouble-free victory for the Cubs, with a four-run first inning going a long way toward it. Busch smoked a two-run homer into the A¡¯s bullpen in his first at-bat, and Swanson followed with a solo shot to center on the very next pitch.
The Cubs batted around in the fifth and again in the sixth, plating a combined 11 runs between the two frames. In addition to their 21 hits, they drew 10 walks, putting runners on the basepaths all night.
Kelly took two of those free passes, becoming the third player in AL/NL history to walk twice AND record a cycle in the same game. The previous instance? Joe Gordon of the Yankees ¡ in 1940.
He made plenty more history, too: He became the first No. 9 hitter with a cycle since Chone Figgins in 2006 and the first Cubs catcher to record one since Randy Hundley in 1966.
It was a memorable evening for a player willing and ready to seize a unique opportunity.
¡°Great accomplishment,¡± Kelly said. ¡°Something that I never thought I would get. I¡¯m just very fortunate and blessed. A lot of hard work, a lot of great teammates pumping me up. All in all, just a very special night.¡±