CHICAGO – Center fielder Tristan Peters was mic’d up in conjunction with CHSN’s all-access home Friday broadcast for the White Sox series opener against the A’s.
Peters was gregarious, talkative and … Oh, yes, he hit for the seventh cycle in franchise history during a 14-1 White Sox thumping of the Athletics.
Maybe every game can become all-access where the left-handed-hitting rookie is concerned.
“Yeah, I feel like I have to wear it for the rest of the year at this point,” said a smiling Peters at the postgame media session.
Per Elias, Peters became the third player in at least the expansion era (since 1961) to complete the cycle by getting two hits in the same inning, joining the Orioles' Felix Pie (seventh inning, Aug. 14, 2009, single and triple) and the Giants' Jim Ray Hart (fifth inning, July 8, 1970, triple and home run).
It takes a great deal to bump Munetaka Murakami from the No. 1 White Sox story, especially when the first baseman returned from his 35-game absence caused by a Grade 2 right hamstring strain. Murakami also was named an American League All-Star Friday, joining teammate Miguel Vargas, and was the final entrant in the All-Star Home Run Derby in Philadelphia.
Let’s not forget Sean Burke (6-4), who has become a bonafide top-of-the-rotation, Game 1 playoff starter, and continued his recent dominance on Friday by yielding only Tyler Soderstrom’s home run over seven innings, and striking out nine without a walk. In Burke’s last 32 innings, covering five starts, he has 42 strikeouts and has walked five with six runs allowed. In his last two starts, Burke has 20 strikeouts and no walks in 13 innings.
But this night belonged to Peters, the 26-year-old from Winkler, Manitoba, who joined George Kottaras in 2011 as the only native Canadians who hit for the cycle. Peters finished his schooling at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, met his wife in Arizona on the line dancing circuit and once played for the Savannah Bananas.
In fact, a Macarena-themed dugout celebration with Murakami was steeped in the Bananas’ tradition.
“One of the dances he was doing was that, so we just kind of built it off from there and started dancing,” said a smiling Murakami through interpreter Kenzo Yagi. “It was a while since we did our dance. I think his hips got loose and that’s why he was able to get that cycle today.”
“I’m honored. The coolest thing I’ve ever done,” Peters said. “Blessed to do it in front of these fans. This city. It’s just incredible.”
Peters doubled in the third, his 20th of the season, to become the game’s first baserunner. He singled home a run during the White Sox four-run fifth and then launched a two-run homer and the deciding triple as part of an eight-run seventh.
Third-base coach Justin Jirschele might have had the stop sign up for Peters as he rounded second after pulling the Mason Barnett pitch just inside first. At that moment, Peters wasn’t stopping.
“I saw it go down the line and thought, ‘I’m going three no matter what,’” Peters said. “I’m going through. I don’t care. I’ll be a little selfish at this point.”
“He's somebody that does it all right,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “To stretch that one out there, I thought it was good. He did it with good effort out of the box and it was special to get that triple, get the cycle. But just more of the same from Tristan where we've seen it really consistently with him hitting the ball hard and playing extremely hard as well.”
This lopsided affair raised the White Sox record to 48-45, guaranteeing they will be over .500 at the All-Star break. This organization is two seasons removed from losing 121 games. They remain the only team without a losing streak greater than three games and remain tied with the Guardians atop the American League Central.
Jose Abreu was the last White Sox player to hit for a cycle, coming on Sept. 9, 2017, against the Giants. The right-handed slugger completed that cycle with a triple to right-center, almost falling down as he sped around second and looking gassed by the time he slid into third.
Things were a little easier Friday for Peters, one of baseball’s true individual surprises to go with his team’s stellar play, who concluded his night with a tip of the cap to the raucous fans.
“No, I’ve never had that experience, especially in front of this many people,” said Peters, who retrieved the baseball from his triple. “It was awesome.”