Wil Myers nearly fell rounding second base. The San Diego Padres first baseman, who was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, had just ripped the ball into the left-center gap in the eighth inning at Coors Field. The chance to go three was there, provided Myers could stay upright on the base path.
"I was trying too hard I think," Myers said. "If I would’ve fell, I would’ve still tried for it."
Myers did not fall. He made it to third without even having to slide.
Myers' triple, which came in San Diego's 5-3 win over the Rockies Monday night, capped off just the second cycle in Padres franchise history. Matt Kemp accomplished the same feat back in 2015. Kemp's also came at Coors Field.
The Colorado Rockies' home ballpark has been the site of a disproportionate amount of cycles in the last 22 years. There have been 82 instances of a player hitting at least one single, double, triple and home run in a game since the start of the 1995 season, according to BaseballReference.com. Fifteen of those games — or 18.3 percent of all cycles in that time period— have come at Coors Field.
"I was screaming three," Padres manager Andy Green said. "I usually don’t get into it that much. I try to be as even-keeled as I can. But you don’t see cycles very often."
Green is right — but the feat is certainly more common at the hitter's paradise that is Coors Field than in any other ballpark. Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, has only been the site of 17 cycles in its 105-year history. Wrigley Park, where the Cubs have played since 1914, has hosted 10 cycles in its existence. Zero of those occurred since Coors Field opened.
"I think I’ve been a triple shy of the cycle three times," Myers said. "That was my fourth time."
Rockies have hit eight of the cycles at Coors Field, while opponents have hit seven. Mike Lansing got his in four innings for Colorado back in 1995. Dante Bichette did it in 1998 after starting the game 0-for-2. Houston's Craig Biggio hit his in the Rockies' home opener in 2002. Even Scott Hairston, a lifetime .242 hitter, accomplished the feat at Coors Field in 2012.
"Everybody enjoys coming to hit here," Myers said. "You see the ball really well. It’s a great hitter’s park. You’ve got a huge outfield. You’ve got a lot of hits out there. This is obviously my favorite place to come hit, here and Yankee Stadium. Fun place to play.”
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