Kyle Nevin hits for cycle as Drillers win fifth straight game

The Tulsa Drillers had been stuck at four straight wins five different times this season, until Wednesday night, when Kyle Nevin made sure they finally broke through.

Nevin became the first Drillers player in more than 20 years to hit for the cycle, leading Tulsa to a 14-8 win over the San Antonio Missions at ONEOK Field. The historic performance delivered the club’s fifth consecutive victory, its longest winning streak of the season.

The third baseman went 4-for-5 with a single, double, triple, and a grand slam, scoring three runs and driving in six. It was just the eighth cycle in Drillers franchise history and the first since Ryan Spilborghs accomplished the feat in 2005.

“I don’t think my dad even did this,” Nevin joked afterward. His father, Phil Nevin, was the No. 1 overall pick in 1992 and played 12 years in the majors, but never hit for the cycle.

Fast Start, Historic Finish

Tulsa never trailed, jumping ahead in the first when Chris Newell belted his team-leading 15th home run of the year, a two-run shot that extended his hitting streak to 13 games and his on-base streak to 26 straight.

In the third, Nevin’s RBI single pushed the lead to 3-0. The big blow came in the fourth, when he launched a grand slam off reliever Jose Geraldo to cap a six-run inning. By the sixth, Nevin had added an RBI triple and later scored to make it 11-2.

In the eighth, needing only a double to complete the cycle, Nevin drove a ball to deep center that one-hopped the wall, bringing home another run and cementing his place in Drillers history.

Other Notable Performances

1. Newell finished with four RBIs, moving within one game of tying the team’s longest hitting streak of the season.
2. Nevin extended his personal hitting streak to six games, batting .500 during that stretch with 10 RBIs.
3. Tulsa matched its season high for runs in a game — 14 — for the second time in a week.
4. Starter Chris Campos earned the win, allowing just two hits and one earned run over six innings.

The victory improved Tulsa’s record to 24-17 in the second half of the season. Since July 22, the Drillers have won 14 of their last 20 games.

Nevin joins Hank Blalock, Jorge Piedra, Ryan Spilborghs, Mel Barrow, and Billy Sample as the only Drillers to ever hit for the cycle. Blalock and Piedra each did it twice in the early 2000s.

Tulsa will look to extend its winning streak to six when the series continues Thursday night at ONEOK Field.