Xavier Edwards becomes second Marlins player ever to hit for the cycle

STEVE MEGARGEE, Associated Press

23 minutes ago

Miami Marlins’ Xavier Edwards gestures after hitting a single during the ninth inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Miami Marlins waited 30 years before letting a player cycle in a game.

Now they have cycles in consecutive seasons.

Xavier Edwards became the second Marlins player ever to hit for the cycle on Sunday, as the rookie went 4-for-4 and hit his first career home run in a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. He also scored both of Miami’s runs.

The Marlins played their inaugural season in 1993, but had never had anyone hit a full cycle until Luis Arráez accomplished the feat by going 4 of 5 with two runs and two RBI in an 8–4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on April 11, 2023.

“Really cool,” Edwards said. “Luis is the first one and we were teammates for about a month and a half last year. He’s a great guy, great hitter, great teammate. Really cool to follow in his footsteps and get the second one. Definitely excited and very thankful for that.”

Edwards homered off Tobias Myers on the game’s leadoff pitch, got a leadoff walk from Myers in the third, doubled off Jakob Junis in the fifth and tripled off Joel Payamps in the seventh. The triple was also his first.

The home run came on Edwards’ 185th career plate appearance. Myers noted after the game that he and Edwards were former teammates in the Tampa Bay Rays’ farm system.

“He’s a good hitter,” Myers said. “He always has been. He’s always been able to put the ball in play and make things happen.”

By the time Edwards finally came to bat with two outs in the ninth inning, he knew all too well how close he was to a milestone. But he was also up against Devin Williams, a two-time NL Reliever of the Year.

“I hate to say it, but I’ve been thinking about it the last two innings or so leading up to my last at-bat,” Edwards said. “I thought, ‘Okay, I think I’ve got a single left.’ For whatever reason, in my head I was thinking about a two-strike hit. I don’t know why. Probably not a great thought process.”

Edwards did indeed hit a ground ball to the left side on a 1-2 changeup, sprinted down the line and reached first base just before the throw from shortstop Willy Adames.

“I would have been pretty mad at myself if I didn’t hit a single,” Edwards said. “I normally shoot a lot of singles, so I would have been pretty mad if I didn’t hit a single. So I’m really glad I did it.”

Edwards was the eighth player ever to cycle in the same game in which he hit his first home run, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The last to do so was San Francisco’s Fred Lewis in 2007.

It’s been a tumultuous year for Edwards, who missed the start of the season with a foot infection but has come on strong lately. Edwards, who turns 25 on Aug. 9, is hitting .379 with a .462 on-base percentage in 25 games.

“He hits the ball the other way, he runs, he hits it with power,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “His at-bats are super-smooth at the plate. There’s not a lot of swing-and-miss. He’s never off balance. He puts the ball in play. You like him in high-leverage spots. He’s excellent. I’ve said it before: I knew he was going to be pretty good at the plate. I didn’t know he was going to be this good at the plate.”

Still, Edwards seemed an unlikely candidate to hit for the cycle, having not hit a home run until Sunday. Only 10 of his 56 career hits have gone for extra bases.

He managed to leave Milwaukee with a pair of souvenir baseballs — one for his first career home run and one for completing the cycle. Edwards had a good idea where he wanted to send them.

“When we get home, I’ll probably give them to my mom,” Edwards said. “She’ll take good care of them and put them somewhere safe.”

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