De Jesus Cycles C's To Victory
HILLSBORO, OR – Alex De Jesus completed the first cycle in this iteration of the franchise’s history to lead the Canadians to an 8-2 win over the Hillsboro Hops [D-Backs] in front of a capacity crowd at Ron Tonkin Field Tuesday night. The #21 Blue Jays prospect started his night
HILLSBORO, OR – Alex De Jesus completed the first cycle in this iteration of the franchise’s history to lead the Canadians to an 8-2 win over the Hillsboro Hops [D-Backs] in front of a capacity crowd at Ron Tonkin Field Tuesday night.
The #21 Blue Jays prospect started his night with a two-out RBI double in the top of the first to put the C’s in front 1-0. He returned to the plate in the third – an inning that began with Jommer Hernandez’s third homer of the year – and uncorked a two-out, two-run shot to dead centerfield that traveled 425 feet at 105 MPH to make it 4-0 Vancouver.
While Michael Dominguez (W, 5-2) was dealing to the tune of one run on two hits over five innings, De Jesus padded the Canadians advantage in the fifth with a two-out triple to expand the lead to 6-1.
Needing only a single to complete the feat, the Santo Domingo, DR native came to the dish in the seventh with two runners in scoring position and – you guessed it – two outs. The infield was in and De Jesus smoked a 3-2 pitch off the outstretched glove of the shortstop to drive in a pair and write his name in the history books.
Eric Pardinho, Sam Ryan and Conor Larkin covered the final four innings after Dominguez’s exit to secure the win.
De Jesus’ career performance was his first cycle and second seven RBI showing (his first was less than two weeks ago in Eugene). He now has 48 RBI and six triples – both team-leading numbers – while raising his average to .262 on the season.
The win improves the C’s to a league-best 45-30 and 7-3 in the second half. It was Vancouver’s second spoiling of the July 4th festivities for the Hops; they beat them 9-2 in 2013 to disappoint the home side in the first-ever American Independence Day Celebration in Hillsboro.
Kevin Miranda takes the ball for the Canadians in game two of the six-game set Wednesday night. He’ll be opposed by #22 D-Backs prospect Dylan Ray. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and coverage is available on CanadiansBaseball.com, the MiLB First Pitch app and the Sportsnet Radio Network.