ORANJESTAD - Xander Bogaerts put together one of his most exciting offensive performances of the season Thursday night, coming within one hit of making history as the San Diego Padres defeated the Colorado Rockies 9-2.
The Aruba star did most of his damage during a huge second inning for San Diego. Bogaerts first launched a home run, his 12th of the season, before coming back to the plate later in the same inning and ripping a triple.
Just like that, Bogaerts already had two of the more difficult pieces of the cycle completed.
In his next at-bat, Bogaerts added a double, leaving him needing only a single to complete the cycle. From that point on, every trip to the plate came with extra anticipation as the possibility of a rare achievement became very real.
Bogaerts eventually received one final opportunity in the ninth inning.
With a home run, triple and double already on his line, all he needed was a base hit to complete the cycle. Bogaerts couldn't get it, striking out in his final at-bat and finishing the night just a single short.
Despite narrowly missing the cycle, it was still an outstanding performance from Bogaerts and an important contribution to San Diego's convincing 9-2 victory over Colorado.
The home run was also Bogaerts' first since August 14, ending a stretch of more than a month without a long ball.
For Baseball Aruba fans, it turned into a memorable night of following one of Aruba's greatest players as he came within one swing of adding another special accomplishment to his MLB career.
Final: Padres 9, Rockies 2
Bogaerts may not have completed the cycle, but a night featuring a home run, triple and double certainly made it one to remember.