Matt Kemp Hits for Cycle vs. Rockies: Stats, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

San Diego Padres right fielder Matt Kemp became the first player in franchise history to hit for the cycle Friday night. 

In the Padres' 9-5 win over the Colorado Rockies, Kemp bashed a triple to deep right-center field in the top of the ninth inning to cap off his monumental night. 

"I’ve come close plenty of times, I’ve just never gotten that one hit I definitely needed," Kemp said, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune's Dennis Lin. "That triple is the hardest one to get."

Kemp got things started with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning, and he followed that up with a single in the third before doubling to deep center in the seventh.

All told, Kemp went 4-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored.

While the achievement was the first of its kind since for the Padres since their inception in 1969, Tony Gwynn came awfully close to hitting for the cycle during his Hall of Fame career, according to Baseball Photos on Twitter: 

ESPN Stats & Info passed along another staggering tidbit regarding the Padres' inability to churn out cycles:

Kemp entered the evening batting .267 in August—five points up on his season-long average of .262. However, despite his recent surge, Kemp's double and triple were his first of the month. 

After batting a putrid .186 in May and struggling to the tune of a .243 average in June, Kemp has worked his way into a more comfortable groove at the plate. 

And although the Padres are on the outskirts of the National League playoff picture, Kemp's late-season improvement has given them something to take solace in as the 2015 campaign begins to wind down.