Cardinals prospect Chandler Redmond hits for historic home run cycle originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
A St. Louis Cardinals prospect achieved one of the rarest feats in pro baseball history on Wednesday night.
Infielder Chandler Redmond of the Double-A Springfield Cardinals hit four home runs against the Amarillo Sod Poodles at Hodgetown stadium in Amarillo, Texas. The four long balls consisted of a solo homer, two-run homer, three-run homer and grand slam, giving Redmond the extremely rare home run cycle.
A home run cycle has never occurred at the MLB level. And, believe it or not, a former Double-A Cardinals prospect is the only other player to pull it off in the minors during the modern era. Outfielder Tyrone Horne hit for the home run cycle as a member of the Arkansas Travelers, which was the Cardinals' Double-A affiliate at the time, in July of 1998.
"It's unbelievable," Redmond said of the feat, via MLB.com. "I don't even know what words to use to describe the feelings right now."
Redmond actually began his historic night with an RBI single in the top of the first inning. After striking out in the third, Redmond went deep in his next four at-bats over four consecutive innings. His first long ball was a two-run shot in the fifth, followed by a grand slam in the sixth, a solo shot in the seventh and a three-run homer in the eighth.
Sports
"So after I hit the grand slam, I had a little thought creep into my mind about maybe the cycle," Redmond said. "But then I brushed it off real quick. I was like, 'Come on, this was only my second time with a multihomer game in pro ball. But then I go up there and hit the solo shot and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, I can do it.' So then walking up for that last at-bat and seeing two guys on, I'm thinking, 'Oh my gosh, everything is lining up, you can do this. So just stay calm and stay within yourself, but if you get a chance to get a ball to hammer, you better not miss it.'"
Redmond finished 5-for-6 with four home runs and 11 RBIs as Springfield set single-game franchise records for hits (21) and runs (21) in a 21-4 blowout victory. Redmond's four homers and 11 RBIs were also club records.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
A native of Middletown, Md., Redmond was selected by St. Louis in the 32nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft. While the 25-year-old isn't currently ranked among the Cards' top 30 prospects, he certainly put himself on the map with Wednesday's performance.
