Carson Kelly (cycle), Cubs ruin Athletics’ Sacramento opener

Michael Busch christened Sutter Health Park as a major league stadium with a first-inning home run, Carson Kelly hit for the cycle, and the Chicago Cubs spoiled the Athletics’ debut at their new home in West Sacramento, Calif., with an 18-3 shellacking on Monday.

Kelly drove in five runs, Busch four, and Dansby Swanson and Kyle Tucker (both of whom also homered) three apiece for the Cubs. Chicago banged out 21 hits, including 11 for extra-bases.

Making his first start of the season, Ben Brown (1-1) benefitted from the big-time offensive support to get the win, limiting the A’s to three runs and six hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out five.

Busch’s home run, his first of the season, came as the game’s fourth batter after A’s starter Joey Estes (0-1) had walked Ian Happ, served up a double to Tucker and recorded the first out on a Seiya Suzuki sacrifice fly.

One pitch after Busch went deep, Swanson smacked his second homer of the year, and the rout was on.

Playing at their new home for the first time after splitting four games in Seattle, the A’s managed to get within 5-3 after a two-run fourth that featured an RBI double by Max Muncy.

However, Kelly and Busch had two-RBI singles in a five-run fifth before Swanson contributed a two-run double to a six-run sixth that busted the game wide open at 16-3.

Estes, making his season debut, left one batter into the fifth. He was charged with six runs on nine hits and four walks with two strikeouts.

Kelly became just the 17th catcher in major league history to hit for the cycle — the first since J.T. Realmuto in June of 2023 — when he tripled home a run in the eighth inning after having homered in the fourth, singled in the fifth and doubled in the sixth.

No Cubs had hit produced a cycle since Mark Grace in 1993.

Kelly finished 4-for-4 with three runs. Tucker had four hits and four runs, Busch three hits and two runs, and Swanson two hits and two runs. Tucker’s homer, which came in the ninth inning, was his third of the year.

Nico Hoerner (3-for-4), Suzuki (2-for-5) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (2-for-5) also collected multiple hits for the Cubs, who also enjoyed a double-figure run outing when they spoiled the Arizona Diamondbacks’ home opener with a 10-6 win on Thursday.

Jacob Wilson, playing one day after his 23rd birthday, belted his first major league home run for the A’s, a solo shot in the third inning.

Brent Rooker and Miguel Andujar each had a pair of singles for the A’s, who collected 10 hits.

–Field Level Media