McAdam: Mookie Betts makes even a loss interesting with first Red Sox cycle in three years

TORONTO -- Cycles, like no-hitters, can be funny things.

They're both rare. And they both come from the unlikeliest sources at times.

So, yes, Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax both threw multiple no-hitters, which makes sense. Then again, so did Bob Forsch and Homer Bailey, which makes no sense at all. And Roger Clemens never threw one, never mind two. Go figure.

The same goes for cycles. Sure, in Red Sox history, Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski each had one, as did fellow Hall of Famers Bobby Doerr (twice), Joe Cronin and Tris Speaker. But so did Scott Cooper and Rich Gedman.

See how unpredictable they can be?

So when Mookie Betts joined a rather exclusive fraternity, becoming the first major leaguer this season to hit for the cycle, it somehow seemed fitting. Betts is, after all, unquestionably the most talented all-around player on the team, with the power to hit the ball out of the ballpark, and the speed to race around them for a triple.

But it also can appear random. Betts had come close before in his career, but had fallen short until Thursday. And he ended up accomplishing it in a loss, 8-5 to the Blue Jays. In so doing, he became the first Sox player to hit for the cycle in a losing effort since Yastrzemski did so in 1965.

That year, the Red Sox were bottom-feeders, hopelessly out of contention by mid-season and seemingly headed nowhere. Yastrzemski, though he had already won a batting title, was regarded as a good but hardly great player. That perception wouldn't change until two years later.

Betts is already different. He's on a very short list of the game's best players. At just 25, he's already had two finishes in the top six in voting for the A.L. MVP. Were the voting to be held today, he would likely win the award for this season.

Betts has been instrumental in the Red Sox' ascension to the top of the standings. As the leadoff hitter, he sets the tone and table, scoring runs at a remarkable pace while frequently saving them in the outfield with his defensive play.

Usually, when he reached base five times -- he also worked in a walk to go with his first-inning single, second-inning triple, fourth-inning double and ninth-inning homer -- the Sox win. They didn't on this night, but his at-bat in the ninth proved to be a must-see event.

His teammates were already reminding him of what was at stake when he went to the plate in the ninth, the Sox two outs away from what would be just their second loss in the last dozen games.

Betts left little to doubt about his intentions at the plate, especially when Toronto reliever Ken Giles ran the count to 3-and-1. Betts took a ferocious cut at the next pitch...and fouled it off, serving as a cruel reminder that homers are hardest to hit when you're consciously trying to hit them.

"It's 3-and-1, we're down four, he's probably going to throw a fastball,'' said Betts, "so I thought, 'This is the time to try.' That let me know that I needed to stop trying. When they come, I'm definitely not trying for them.''

Then again, Betts has had lots of practice going deep. Entering Thursday, he had 27 homers and only eight players in the American League had more. Not bad for a leadoff hitter.

"Now I can say I've done it,'' said Betts, as though he had merely checked off a chore on his daily to-do list. "I've had some opportunities to do it before, so to finally succeed is a good feeling.''

He was asked what had been his proudest athletic achievement: hitting for the cycle, or bowling a perfect (300) game, which he's also done.

"Great question,'' he said, as he pondered. "I'm going to say that a cycle is probably harder than a perfect game in bowling.''

Of course, in bowling, there's no team to think about, no collective result. When you bowl one, you automatically win. Not so with cycles, as he found out the hard way Thursday night.

"Sucks that I did it in a loss,'' he said, careful to place the team first.

Still, on a night that ended in defeat, Betts held your interest, made you keep watching.

The great ones have that ability. And occasionally, they have a cycle to show for it, too.