Rangers' Beltre ties MLB record with 3rd career cycle

Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre needed just four at-bats Monday to bolster his Cooperstown case, as the 36-year-old tied an MLB record by hitting for the cycle for the third time in his career in his team's series opener against the Houston Astros.

Beltre crushed a triple to left-center in his first at-bat of the evening, affording the Rangers a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first. The following inning, he ripped a one-out, bases-empty double to a similar location.

In the bottom of the third, Beltre stroked an opposite-field single off newly acquired right-hander Mike Fiers. Beltre eventually scored in what proved to be a five-run outburst from the Rangers, who ended the frame with an 11-3 lead.

When he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the fifth, Beltre made history, launching a solo shot to left field to become the first player since the 1930s to hit for the cycle three times. His blast, which traveled an estimated 398 feet, also extended his team's lead to 12-7.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Beltre entered Monday's game without a four-hit performance in 2015. His magical night came less than two weeks after teammate Shin-Soo Choo hit for the cycle against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 21.