On This Day in Sports May 26, 2004: Father and Son Cycles
Daryle Ward hits for the cycle, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 11-8 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Ward goes four-for-five, scoring three runs with six RBI, in the win over the Cardinals. Daryle Ward's father, Gary, had a cycle with the Minnesota Twins in 1980. This marked the first time in MLB history that a father and son each had a cycle during their career.
Gary Ward was born on December 6, 1953, in Los Angeles. Signing with the Minnesota Twins in 1972, Ward spent seven seasons in the minors before debuting with the Twins in 1979. Ward again spent most of the 1980 season in the minors but showed great promise when called up in September. In a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at County Stadium, Gary Ward hit for the cycle, hitting his first career home run, while hit for the cycle. The Twins lost 9-8 on a walk-off home run by Gorman Thomas.
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Gary Ward would have a respectable 12-year career, playing in two All-Star Games while spending time with the Twins, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Detroit Tigers. After retiring, Gary Ward spent 20 seasons as a coach in the Chicago White Sox organization. His son, Daryle Ward, was born in Lynwood, California, on June 27, 1975. The Detroit Tigers selected Daryle Ward in the 15th round of the 1994 MLB Draft. Two years later, he was traded to the Houston Astros, a ten-player deal that included Jose Lima and Brad Asmus.
Daryle Ward made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros in 1998 and spent five seasons with the Astros. After one year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ward signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2004. He started the season in AAA, but upon his call-up to Pittsburgh, Daryle Ward had the best stretch of his career.
In a Wednesday night game at Busch Stadium, Daryle Ward's night began with a two-run double off Jason Marquis in the first inning. In the third inning, Ward walked and scored on a single by Bobby Hill to give Pittsburgh a 4-1 lead. After the Cardinals got a run back, Daryle Ward had an RBI triple in the fourth inning, helping the Pirates build a 6-2 lead.
The Pirates would blow the game open against reliever Kiko Calero, as Daryle Ward hit a three-run home run to give the Pirates a 10-2 lead in the fifth inning. In his first chance to complete the cycle, Ward flew out to left field in the seventh inning. The Cardinals tried to claw their way back into the game with four runs in the seventh. However, the Pirates got a run in the eighth as Daryle Ward completed the cycle with a single in the ninth. The Pirates would win the game 11-8.
The father-son cycle was duplicated by the Biggios. Craig Biggio had a cycle with the Houston Astros in 2002, while Cavan Biggio hit for the cycle with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019. Also of note Gus Bell and David Bell each had cycles, but it skipped a generation, as Buddy Bell did not hit for the cycle in his career.