August 7, 1963: Hickman Hits for the Cycle
From The Met Wiki
| Date: August 7, 1963 |
| Mets starter: Tracy Stallard |
| Mets: 7 |
| Cardinals: 3 |
| Winning pitcher: Tracy Stallard |
| Key player(s): Jim Hickman |
| Key play: Hickman's triple in 4th, Hickman's home run in 6th |
The Mets and Cardinals had a game on a Wednesday afternoon at the Polo Grounds. Jim Hickman stole the show by hitting for the cycle in the Mets' 7-3 win. Hickman's four hits came in the natural order of single-double-triple-homer.
In the first inning, Hickman got started with a single off Cardinals' starter Ernie Broglio. Duke Snider also singled in the inning, but the Mets did not score. However, they got two runs in the second when Joe Hicks and Choo Choo Coleman scored on a pair of infield groundouts. Hickman followed with a double, but was left stranded at second base.
In the top of the fourth, Dick Groat homered off Tracy Stallard for the first St. Louis run of the game. The Mets answered in the bottom half when Hickman hit a two-out triple that scored Stallard. Later in the inning, Snider got a bases-loaded single to bring home Hickman and Duke Carmel. Broglio was then lifted for Lew Burdette, who gave up a single to Frank Thomas that scored Ron Hunt for a 6-1 Met lead.
The Cardinals got two runs back in the fifth on Bill White's bases-loaded single. Ken Boyer came to bat after White, representing the tying run. Stallard got Boyer to ground out to end the inning.
Hickman led off the bottom of the sixth against St. Louis reliever Barney Schultz. Jim hit a home run for what turned out to be the game's final run. The homer also made Hickman the first Mets' player ever to hit for the cycle.
Stallard faced a bases-loaded situation in the seventh, but got Boyer to hit into an inning-ending double play. Tracy then retired the Cards without a run in each of the next two innings for a complete game. Stallard and the Mets had a victory helped greatly by Hickman's "natural cycle."
