Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford becomes first Major Leaguer to score for the cycle in 2024

It was also the first four-hit game of his career for the 22-year-old Langford, who was selected fourth overall by the Rangers last year and quickly rose to the majors, landing him on Texas’ opening roster this season.

“He’s just an exciting player,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s a baseball player and you love how aggressive he is. No fear on the bases. Out of the box, he wants to hit doubles and triples.”

Langford hit a triple in the fourth inning and his RBI-double in the fifth inning was a grounder to right-center field that he turned into a two-base hit.

“I guess that’s how I was raised,” Langford said when asked about running. “My dad would beat me up if I didn’t. I’ll give him credit for that.”

His speed had already made an impact, but Langford needed more power after his sixth-inning single in the eighth fell one home run short of the cycle.

“I was trying to hit a home run,” Langford said. “It kind of speaks for itself.”

Langford became the 11th Rangers player to hit for the cycle, the first since Carlos Gomez in April 2017 against the Angels. The only other Texas rookie to do so was Oddibe McDowell in 1985.

Langford also became the first player to hit a cycle in a game televised on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb