Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly, out of Portland’s Westview High School, hit for the cycle Monday night during an 18-3 win over the Athletics.
Kelly, a two-time 6A player of the year, started off by hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning to extend the Cubs’ lead to 5-1 at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California.
In the fifth, Kelly singled to center field to score Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner, making the score 7-3.
Kelly walked with bases loaded to score Hoerner in the sixth, giving the Cubs a 16-3 advantage.
Kelly’s triple to complete the cycle came in the eighth inning, scoring Matt Shaw.
At first, Kelly thought he would only get a double off his blast to center. But the ball banged off the wall and back into the outfield, allowing Kelly to get to third while Athletics outfielders scrambled.
“I’m not the fastest guy out there, so a lot needed to happen for that, but I’m grateful for it,” Kelly said during the Marquee Sports Network’s postgame show.
Kelly, batting ninth in the lineup, ended the night 4 for 4 with the cycle, five RBIs, scored four runs and walked twice.
Kelly became the first Cubs player to hit for the cycle since Mark Grace in 1993, and is the first Cubs catcher to do so since 1966.
Kelly, born in Chicago, Illinois, was raised in Beaverton and attended Westview, where he was named 6A player of the year as a junior and senior.
Kelly graduated in 2012 and committed to play for the Oregon Ducks. That was before the St. Louis Cardinals drafted him in the second round of the 2012 MLB draft and offered him a $1.6 million signing bonus.
Carson Kelly #15 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after hitting a triple against the Athletics in eighth inning at Sutter Health Park on March 31, 2025 in Sacramento, California. The triple completed the cycle for Kelly. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)Getty Images
He made his MLB debut in 2016 and spent three seasons with the Cardinals, four in Arizona, two with Detroit and played last season with Texas before joining the Cubs in the offseason.
Kelly, platooning at catcher for the Cubs, said the cycle meant a lot to him.
“I never thought I would ever get one,” he said. “So, it’s pretty cool, it’s pretty special. Very raw emotions just to experience that. It really hasn’t settled in yet. I’m just happy we got the W.”
Kelly said he planned to frame the ball and bat.
“It’s a pretty special moment, for sure,” Kelly said.
— Aaron Fentress | [email protected] | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)
