Michael Cuddyer returned from the disabled list in fantastic fashion on Sunday.
The former Twins outfielder, who missed the previous 60 games with a fractured left shoulder, didn’t miss a beat as he hit for the cycle in a 10-5 Colorado Rockies win over the Cincinnati Reds.
He tripled in the first inning, homered in the sixth, singled in the seventh and doubled in the eighth, according to MLB.com.
”You don’t set out to hit for the cycle, that’s for sure,” Cuddyer said, according to Yahoo Sports. ”That’s why I went down there (rehab stint in the minors) for so long, to feel comfortable on the baseball field again. You never want to feel foreign on the field. I knew it was going to take a week or so to get that feel back, and today was a good day.”
Cuddyer has had an injury plagued season. Prior to missing 60 games with his shoulder injury, he missed 25 games with a hamstring injury.
”It’s good to see Cuddy out there and swinging like it’s midseason form,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. ”Big night for Cuddy.”
It’s the second career cycle for Cuddyer. His first came with the Twins on May 22, 2009. Cuddyer went 4-5 with five RBIs in a game against the Brewers.
The ironic part about Cuddyer’s cycles is that left-handed pitcher Manny Parra was involved in both. Parra allowed the double to complete Cuddyer’s cycle on Sunday, and Cuddyer homered, doubled and tripled off him in his 2009 cycle.
