JOHNSON HITS FOR CYCLE AS JAYS UPEND BUCS
Delgado Clubs 19th HR
TORONTO, June 10 (AP) - Reed Johnson became the second American League
player--and the fifth overall--this season to hit for the cycle, leading the
Toronto Blue Jays to an 8-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in interleague
action at SkyDome. Johnson's three-run home run in the sixth broke open a
close game and effectively sealed the win for the Jays.
Johnson fulfilled the most difficult part of the cycle--the triple--in his very
first plate appearance, leading off the bottom of the first inning with a
three-base hit and scoring the game's first run on when he trotted home on
Carlos Delgado's 19th home run of the year, giving the Blue Jays a lead they
would never surrender.
Johnson was the catalyst for the next Toronto rally as well, leading off the
bottom of the third with a double off Pirates starter Kris Benson (1-5).
Johnson scored when Frank Catalanotto followed with a two-bagger of his own and
the Jays capped the rally when Catalanotto came home as Vernon Wells reached on
a two-base error committed by Pittsburgh right fielder Reggie Sanders.
The Pirates fought back with a single run in the fourth on Jason Kendall's first
home run of the season and two more in the fifth on Jack Wilson's two-run
double. But Greg Myers' two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth
pushed the Toronto lead to 5-3. That set up Johnson's three-run blast in
the sixth, scoring Orlando Hudson and Mike Bordick--both of whom had singled--in
front of him. The Pirates scored a consolation run in the ninth to cap the
scoring.
Johnson completed the cycle with a single to right field in his final plate
appearance, which came in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The previous AL player to hit for the cycle this season was Randy Winn of the
Seattle Mariners, who accomplished the feat in a 16-10 victory over the Kansas
City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on May 27.
6/10/2003, Pit03-Tor03, SkyDome 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2003 Pirates 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 4 8 1 3 0 2003 Blue Jays 2 0 2 0 1 3 0 0 x 8 15 0 7 1 Pirates AB R H BI AVG Blue Jays AB R H BI AVG Lofton cf 4 0 0 0 .261 Johnson,Re rf 5 3 4 3 .333 Kendall c 4 1 1 1 .259 Catalanotto lf 5 1 1 1 .312 Giles,B lf 4 1 2 0 .346 Wells,V cf 5 1 1 0 .309 Ramirez,A 3b 4 0 1 0 .267 Delgado,C 1b 4 1 1 2 .275 Simon 1b 3 0 0 0 .228 Myers,G c 4 0 2 1 .290 Young,K ph 1 0 0 1 .227 Phelps,J dh 4 0 2 0 .336 Sanders,R rf 4 1 2 0 .311 Hudson,O 2b 4 1 1 0 .264 Stairs dh 3 1 1 0 .325 Woodward ss 4 0 1 0 .301 Wilson,C ph 1 0 0 0 .230 Clark,H 3b 2 0 1 0 .450 Wilson,J ss 3 0 1 2 .215 Bordick ph 1 1 1 0 .296 Reboulet 2b 3 0 0 0 .263 38 8 15 7 34 4 8 4 Pirates INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Benson L 1-5 5.1 10 6 6 0 5 97 62 5.33 Beimel 1.1 2 2 2 0 1 25 12 6.23 Tavarez 1.1 3 0 0 0 0 17 12 3.24 8.0 15 8 8 0 6 139 86 Blue Jays INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Lidle W 4-4 8.0 8 4 4 0 5 122 83 5.71 Miller,T 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 8 6 1.21 9.0 8 4 4 0 6 130 89 Pit: Young,K batted for Simon in the 9th Wilson,C batted for Stairs in the 9th Tor: Bordick batted for Clark,H in the 6th Bordick moved to 3b in the 7th E-Sanders,R. 2B-Giles,B(21), Ramirez,A(14), Stairs(6), Wilson,J(8), Johnson,Re(5), Catalanotto(11), Phelps,J(18), Clark,H(2). 3B-Johnson,Re(1). HR-Kendall(1), Johnson,Re(5), Delgado,C(19). RBI-Kendall(20), Wilson,J 2(20), Young,K(6), Johnson,Re 3(14), Catalanotto(32), Delgado,C 2(48), Myers,G(19). K-Lofton, Kendall, Ramirez,A, Sanders,R, Stairs, Wilson,J, Delgado,C 2, Phelps,J 2, Hudson,O, Woodward. HBP-Bordick. HB-Tavarez. GWRBI: Delgado,C Temperature: 70, Wind: none. Attendance: 15,915 Game Time: 2:46