– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — The Texas Rangers have had issues finding the big hit all season long, and especially during their season-long road losing streak they carried into Sunday night. Wyatt Langford took care of those concerns for one night, racking up a number of big hits to usher in a Major League first for 2024.
Langford hit for the 11th cycle in franchise history, capping the feat off with a three-run home run in his final at-bat in the eighth inning to lead the Rangers to an 11-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles to snap Texas’ six-game losing streak. Derek Hill homered twice while starting pitcher Andrew Heaney struck out 10 in seven innings of work, allowing just two runs on five hits.
Langford had already tripled in the fourth, doubled in the fifth and singled in the sixth inning before he came up with the Rangers already up 8-2 in the penultimate inning. Langford was very aware that his night was close to being a historic one, and had only one thought in mind as he faced Baltimore reliever Matt Krook. The rookie outfielder, who was the No. 4 overall pick in last year’s draft, lifted a deep drive on a 1-0 pitch down the left-field line and just inside the foul pole to complete the first cycle in the Major Leagues this season.
“I was trying to hit a home run,” Langford said. “It kind of speaks for itself.”
Hill also provided the power for Texas, starting the scoring on the night with his two-run shot off Orioles starter Cole Irvin with two outs in the second. His second dinger came in the fifth, a solo shot.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday evening’s game, with photos taken by DC-area photographer Tim Rice. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are XX pictures in total.
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