The last two Texas Rangers to hit for the cycle had to really work for that triple.
That's because those last two Rangers to accomplish the feat were former catcher Bengie Molina — the most unlikely cycle of all-time, perhaps — and Adrian Beltre.
On Wednesday night, another Ranger flirted with the cycle — hitting a single, double, triple and homer in one game — in the form of No. 9 hitter Delino DeShields Jr. Unlike Molina and Beltre, DeShields had no problem with the triple, racing around the bags for a stand-up triple on a ball to left field.
Even though DeShields couldn't get one out of the yard, he had a fantastic night in his quest to prove he deserves to stick around after Josh Hamilton is promoted and to show he might be deserving of a bit of a platoon role with Leonys Martin in center.
DeShields was 3-for-3 with two runs in the No. 9 spot, and now is batting .375 with a .500 on-base percentage over his last nine games. During that time, he also has seven stolen bases and has become the Rangers' biggest base-stealing threat, even in his somewhat limited role.
By comparison, fellow outfielder Carlos Peguero was 0-for-4 on Wednesday with four strikeouts, perhaps putting DeShields even further up in the competition for the one roster spot left when Hamilton returns some time within the next week.
