May 25, 1882 -- If you asked baseball fans across the country which city's team had a player hit for the cycle for the first time in major-league history, you'd probably go through a long list of cities -- New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, etc.
You guessed it. It's Buffalo.
Charles Foley is the man in question. He started his day against Cleveland with a grand-slam home run. Then he added a triple, a double and a single. That's a "cycle."
Foley also became the first player to hit two grand slams in a season later in 1882. He finished the season with a .305 batting average with three homers.
The Bisons got some revenge for a loss to Cleveland two days before on that day. In the defeat, three Buffalo fielders collided on a single to allow the winning run to score in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Foley's outburst contributed to an impressive 20-1 victory by the Bisons. The team went on to a 45-39 season, finishing third in the National League.
--- Budd Bailey
tagged
History