Hawai‘i’s Kala‘i Rosario reached a milestone this week, hitting for the cycle for the first time in his life in Double-A Wichita’s 10-1 win over Springfield.
The Waiakea High School graduate, who was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft, went 4-for-5 with six RBIs in Tuesday’s game. Batting in the cleanup spot for the Wind Surge, Rosario delivered a double, home run, single and then capped it off with a triple in his final at-bat.
“Yeah, I definitely had it. It was in my head for sure,” Rosario said. “It’s not like I was thinking, ‘I gotta hit a ball off the wall and get a triple here.’ You’re still trying to get a good pitch to hit and get a good swing off. To be in that position and get it done, it was special.”
The 22-year-old outfielder admitted he thought his triple might leave the park.
“Off the bat, I almost thought it was a home run,” he said. “As soon as it hit the wall, I was running as hard as I could. It was the most hard-fought triple of my life, that’s for sure.”
Rosario reflected on what the rare feat meant to him in the grind of the minor league season.
“When you’re playing every day, the game can speed up on you,” he said. “Eventually you want to play in the big leagues, but to be able to hit for the cycle is huge. It slows things down a little bit and makes you appreciate it. I’m truly blessed to play this game and call it my job.”
Rosario has been heating up with the weather. In June, he’s hitting .324 with three home runs and 23 RBIs. On the season, he’s driven in 43 runs and swiped 16 bases.
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