Victor Mesa Jr. Hits for Historic Cycle In Series Opener

Pensacola, Fla. – On a night when little went right for the Blue Wahoos, Victor Mesa Jr. produced an all-time memory and his place in franchise history.

The 21-year-old centerfielder, rated No. 14 among the Miami Marlins’ top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline, attained one of baseball’s rarest achievements by hitting for the cycle in the Blue Wahoos' 10-4 loss against the Birmingham Barons at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Mesa Jr., a Havana, Cuba native, matched the Blue Wahoos franchise feat first attained by Donald Lutz on April 21, 2014 while part of the Cincinnati Reds minor league system.

Ironically, Mesa’s magnificence followed the Miami Marlins’ Luis Arraez, who played for the Blue Wahoos in 2019 as Minnesota Twins prospect, becoming last week the first Marlins player in franchise history to hit for the cycle.

In this case, Mesa Jr. hit the cycle in the natural order of single, double, triple and homer on a 4-for-5 night at the plate. He struck out with the bases loaded in the ninth to end the game, but now has a team-high .395 average.

He drove in the game’s first run in the first inning with his two-out single, then followed with the extra base hits. With two outs in the eighth inning, Mesa Jr. clubbed the first pitch he saw and launched it 407 feet over the right-center wall.

Before a crowd of 3,456, his game was the boost on a tough way for the Blue Wahoos to begin their first full-week homestand.

Erratic pitching created a deep, early-inning hole.

It was the first “Doggone Tuesday” promotion, sponsored by Anderson Subaru, giving fans ability to bring their beloved pets into the ballpark and take in the game together.

The Barons (3-7) quickly took over, expanding a 2-1 lead by scoring four runs in the fourth inning on one hit.

Through five innings, three Blue Wahoos pitchers had combined to issue six walks, hit three batters, a wild pitch and another that was a passed ball. The Barons took advantage for an 8-1 lead. The Blue Wahoos wound up using five pitchers in the game.

The two teams will play Wednesday on Education Day -- the first mid-week, matinee game in Blue Wahoos history. It will include school children ages kindergarten through fifth grade at the ballpark as part of special educational field trip. The Blue Wahoos will do it again on May 3 in their other Education Day game.

First pitch from Blue Wahoos Stadium is scheduled for 11:05 p.m. CT, with a live broadcast beginning at 11:00 on BlueWahoos.com, the MiLB First Pitch app (radio), Bally Live and MiLB.tv (video). For more information, visit BlueWahoos.com or call the box office at (850) 934-8444.

GAME NOTABLES

--- The Blue Wahoos welcomed new sponsor Anderson Subaru, which will be the game sponsor each Tuesday for the Doggone Tuesday promotion when fans can bring the beloved pups to the game.

-- Zach Anderson, son of the dealership owner, threw out the game's ceremonial first pitch.

-- The National Anthem was performed by the Haze Gray Quartet, a group of four retired U.S. Navy military members.

-- The Panama City Bozeman senior class was among the groups attending the game.