Former Zephyrs OF Gomez Hits For Cycle

Carlos Gomez, who played in 36 games with the New Orleans Zephyrs last season, hit for the cycle for the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night, leading them to a 13-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.

The cycle was the eighth in Minnesota Twins history, and the first since Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett did it against Oakland on August 1, 1986.

To make things even more rare, Gomez accomplished the feat as a "reverse cycle." Gomez led off the game by sending a 1-1 pitch from Mark Buehrle over the wall in left-center field, and after striking out in the third, he tripled in the fifth and doubled in the sixth. He came up in the ninth needing a single for the cycle, which he got by hitting a ball up the middle for an infield hit.

Acquired from the New York Mets this offseason in the deal for Johan Santana, Gomez is batting .282 in 28 games for the Twins, with two homers, 11 RBI and 13 stolen bases, which ties him for the American League lead.

The 22-year-old posted nearly identical numbers in his 36 games with the Z's in 2007, hitting .286 with two homers, 13 RBI and 17 stolen bases.