It took three months, but we finally have a cycle this season.
On Sunday night, Wyatt Langford of the Texas Rangers achieved the first cycle of the 2024 MLB season against the Baltimore Orioles (TEX 11, BAL 2). This marks the 11th cycle in Rangers history and their first since Carlos Gómez did it in 2017.
Langford’s game was impressive: he flew out in his first at-bat, then tripled in the fourth inning. In the fifth, he doubled; in the sixth, he singled; and finally, he hit a home run in the eighth. He got hits off four different pitchers and hustled for extra bases on his double and triple. Here are all four hits:
✅ Single
✅ Double
✅ Triple
✅ Home runAll 4 hits from Wyatt Langford's first career cycle ⬇️
— MLB (@MLB)
Langford’s Rise:
Texas picked Langford with their No. 4 draft pick in 2023. He started this season as baseball’s No. 4 prospect. “Scouts have felt confident giving him plus offensive projections even before he took a pro at-bat,” wrote R.J. Anderson.
Although Langford won a roster spot during spring training, he initially struggled. Through his first 31 games, he batted .224/.295/.293 before landing on the injured list with a hamstring strain on May 4. Returning on May 28, he’s improved to .275/.333/.422 with only 18 strikeouts over his last 28 games .
Fans might think it’s exciting to see such quick improvement from Langford.
He’s now the first rookie to hit for a cycle since Elly De La Cruz did it last June and only the second Rangers rookie ever to do so—Oddibe McDowell was first back in 1985. The most recent player to hit for a cycle before him was Jose Altuve on August 23 of last year.
Despite Langford’s individual success, Texas has had its struggles this season. They hold a record of just 38-46 after Sunday’s win and are eight games out of a wild-card spot .
Can they turn things around? What do you think?
