Cody Bellinger hits for The Cycle to continue special rookie season

On Saturday night at Marlins Park in Miami, Los Angeles Dodgers rookie sensation Cody Bellinger put on a record-setting show.

Bellinger went 4-5, scored twice, and knocked in three runs to help pace the torrid, first place Dodgers to a 7-1 thrashing of the host Miami Marlins.

His night began with a single in the top of the first inning. In the top of the third, Bellinger’s 26th home run of the season opened the scoring, putting LA on top 2-0.

In the top of the fourth, Bellinger lined an RBI double to right field that upped the visitors lead to 6-0. Then in the seventh, he made history.

On the first offering from Marlins reliever Nick Wittgren, Bellinger ripped a ball to right that sailed over the head of Giancarlo Stanton. As the ball rolled to the wall, Bellinger raced around the bases, sliding into third easily ahead of the throw.

With that triple, Bellinger became the first rookie in the long and storied history of Dodgers baseball to hit for ‘The Cycle’ with a single, double, triple, and home run all in the same game.

“Every time he steps on the field,” manager Dave Roberts said per Andy McCullough of the LA Times, “something special can happen.”

Racist Phillies Episode Earns City Apology

Today, the Philadelphia city council voted to pass a resolution which had been introduced by Councilwoman Helen Gym. 

The resolution was basically a formal apology from the City of Philadelphia to Jackie Robinson for words and actions which baseball's racial trailblazer experienced while playing here against the Phillies.

The resolution reads as follows:

"Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Philadelphia, that City Council hereby recognize, honor and celebrate April 15, 2016 as a day honoring the lifetime achievements and lasting influence of Jackie Robinson, and apologizing for the racism he faced as a player while visiting Philadelphia."

The date of April 15th is significant in that it intentionally coincides with what Major League Baseball has traditionally celebrated as "Jackie Robinson Day" across the game. All players wear his uniform number, a number that is retired across the game, on that day.

Beginning in Robinson's rookie season of 1947, the first black player in MLB in over 60 years was subject to taunts, derogatory comments, and outright racist harassment by some fans and opposition players across the National League.

Nowhere was that harassment more offensive than here in the City of Brotherly Love, where Phillies' manager Ben Chapman infamously attacked Robinson with racist verbal barbs that would make a sailor blush.

Phillies 2016 Promotions and Giveaways

The Philadelphia Phillies have announced special promotions and giveaway items for the 2016 season.

With the scheduled opponents, dates, and times already released earlier in the off-season, the Phils began to fill-in the rest of their schedule with the always highly anticipated list of giveaways and special promotions for the upcoming season.

One highlight will be the 32 scheduled “Theme Nights”, for which special tickets will be required aside from the usual game tickets in order to be a part of the festivities. 

The first two will be held during the weekend of April 1st and 2nd, when the Phillies play a pair of exhibitions prior to the official regular season opening.

On those two dates, the Phillies will hold a “Scouts Parade” at Citizens Bank Park. Friday is a 6:05pm start time vs. the Baltimore Orioles, and Saturday will be a 1:05pm Futures Game featuring the club’s top minor league prospects. 

These events will feature a pregame on-field parade of the scouts in full uniform, with special Phillies patches distributed on the field for those scouts who participate.

Friday April 15th at 7:05pm vs. the Washington Nationals will be a “Jackie Robinson Salute” with the club honoring the baseball barrier-breaker and Hall of Famer. 

The first 500 fans who purchase the special tickets through this promotion will receive coupons for a Philadelphia Stars t-shirt. 

The Stars were a Negro League baseball team from Philadelphia (1933-1952), members of the Negro National League (1934-1948) who won their only championship in their first year.