Big Panda Lumbers his way to a Cycle

The San Francisco Giants probably won’t be having a parade after this season, as Kirk Gibson and the Diamondbacks have slithered there way to a commanding seven-game lead in the NL West.  But last night the Panda gave Giant’s fans a memory they may hold on to for quite some time.

Pablo Sandoval legged out his second triple of the year last night at Coors field.  He also just happened to homer, hit a single and a double.  Yes folks, the big panda went for the cycle last night, and the aftermath was a lot of enormous smiles in the Giant’s dugout.

Pablo got things started with a bang in the first inning.  After swinging way late on a Jhoulys Chacin 91-mph offering on the previous pitch, Panda uncorked the next fastball into the Coors Field upper-deck for a two-run homer.

In the next inning with the Giants in control leading 5-0, Pablo muscled a grounder through the box for a single.

Fast-forward to the top half of the fifth, and while the Rockies broadcasters were joking about purchasing a $14 Todd Helton hamburger value meal, Sandoval reached his bat out on the outer-half of the plate to poke a ball safely down the left-field line, and Pablo rumbled in to second for a double.

In-between innings, Giant’s manager Bruce Bochy apparently was rubbing Sandoval’s legs, joking that he had to warm them up for a potential triple.  Maybe Bochy’s rubdown was just what the doctor ordered, cause in the very next inning Pablo would put the final touches on his historic evening.

After Carlos Beltran hit into a double play which scored Cody Ross making it a 7-2 affair, Sandoval stepped up to the plate.  On a 2-2 offering Pablo lifted a fly ball that carried well in the thin Denver air.  Carlos Gonzalez attempted to make a leaping catch, banging up against the wall in right-center but he just couldn’t come up with it.

Sandoval summoned some fairly intense speed on the flyball – he was practically to second base when the ball took a helpful deadened bounce off of the wall.  Pablo made the turn to third, and conducted an all-out superman slide into the bag reaching ahead of the ensuing relay throw.

As time stopped while Chacin was finally removed from the game, Sandoval summoned a little smile, standing at third trying to catch his breath after running what must of seemed like to him the equivalent of the Boston marathon.

I have to admit, the last thing I expected to read when I woke up in the morning was Pablo Sandoval hitting for the cycle, in six innings nonetheless.