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07.17.10 at 2:20 am ET

Bengie Molina has heard all the jokes over his 11-plus seasons in the majors.

Those jokes, of course, begin and end with the ability of the portly catcher – listed at 5-feet-11 and 225 pounds – to run the bases.

Well, on Friday night, Molina got the best kind of revenge. The catcher completed arguably the most improbable cycle in major league history when his triple off the glove of Eric Patterson leading off the eighth inning.

Molina, one of the nicest and most endearing figures in the game, admitted as much afterward but he did say the huge odds stacked against him made it that much sweeter.

“The cycle is something personal and some [type] of individual goal,” Molina said. “For being the guy that’s been criticized for his speed for 11 1/2 years in the big leagues and being the slowest guy in the world for many people so to something like is unbelievable.”

So with a smile, Molina was saying ‘take that!’ to all those who doubted him. But really what made it sweet was the winning, something he was all about when the Rangers acquired him before the All-Star break from San Francisco.

“Obviously, the winning makes it easier,” Molina said of starting for a team that leads the A.L. West. “I’m sure that’s a big part. Just winning makes you feel better. I came here to win. I didn’t come here to do anything else. It obviously makes you feel good.”

Still, everyone still in attendance was amazed that Molina had just done the improbable with the first cycle by an opponent at Fenway since Cleveland’s Andre Thornton on April 22, 1978.

“I would have put my head in a tree trimmer betting that he wouldn’t hit a triple,” said an astonished David Ortiz of the Red Sox. “That’s crazy, man. Seems to me he stopped at second to think about it. Now, I’m going to have to break that down to my son when I get home because he’s going to ask me a million questions about it.”

Unfortunately for Molina, he wound up paying the price one batter later when his right quad tightened up, forcing him from the game.

It was his manager Ron Washington who had to come out and get the big guy and pinch run for him after Molina waved to the dugout that something was up.

Washington knew going into the at-bat leading off the eighth that Molina had the hardest part left to complete the first cycle by a catcher since Milwaukee’s Chad Moeller on April 27, 2004 against Cincinnati. He had – just moments earlier – asked his third baseman Michael Young what or more to the point – WHERE he thought Molina had to put the ball for the triple.

“I had just mentioned to Michael, ‘Where do you think he has to hit this ball to get a triple?’ He said, ‘No where in this ball park.’”

Molina nearly blew a tire rounding second as Patterson raced to haul in the ball and get it back to the infield.

“I didn’t see any gears shift and he made it standing up,” Washington added.

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Closing Time: Rangers 8, Red Sox 4

07.16.10 at 11:33 pm ET

By Mike Petraglia | No Comments

Friday night’s game started much the same way Thursday’s did – in ugly fashion. And it ended the same way – with a Red Sox loss.

In between, there was a one-hour rain delay, a fairly encouraging outing by 22-year-old lefty Felix Doubront and a powerful return by Adrian Beltre to the starting lineup.

But there was also the Red Sox bullpen allowing a major league-leading 41st home run, a Bengie Molina game-turning grand slam that kept the Red Sox in the post-All Star break doldrums and Molina adding insult to injury by tripling in the eighth to complete the cycle, only to leave moments later with tightness in his right quad.

It’s been that type of week for the Red Sox. And they’ve only played two games.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE RED SOX

- Felix Doubront couldn’t get the final out of the fifth inning. With the Red Sox leading, 3-2, the Rangers had runners on first and second when he caught Josh Hamilton’s liner but threw wildly back to second to try and double off Ian Kinsler. Both Kinsler and Vladimir Guerrero advanced. Doubront appeared to throw awkwardly off the top of the mound on his throw to second and manager Terry Francona came out with a trainer to take a look at Doubront. The pitcher was lifted – but not for injury – as Fernando Cabrera entered the game.

Cabrera earned goat of the game honors when he walked Nelson Cruz to load the bases and then walked in the tying run when he issued a free pass to David Murphy. The worst was yet to come. Cabrera got ahead of Molina when he grooved a 1-2 pitch that Molina belted to the first row of bleacher seats in center for his fifth career grand slam.

Doubront left one out shy of a win, leading 3-2, but suffered his second major league loss, allowing four runs – just two earned -

- When Bengie Molina hits for the cycle, you’re probably going to lose. He became the fifth Ranger ever to turn the trick when he tripled off Eric Patterson‘s glove in the triangle in center to open the eighth. Molina had to come out for a pinch-runner. Last opponent to do it against the Red Sox was Oakland’s Mark Ellis on June 4, 2007 at Oakland and the last opponent to pull it off at Fenway was Cleveland’s Andre Thornton on April 22, 1978. The last MLB catcher to turn the trick was Milwaukee’s Chad Moeller on April 27, 2004.

- Doubront had to field his position. In addition to his fielding miscue in the fifth, the Sox starter threw wildly to first on the first batter of the game, Elvis Andrus, allowing Andrus to reach second and eventually score the first run on Ian Kinsler’s base hit.

- The bottom third is bottoming out. The trio of Daniel Nava, Bill Hall and Kevin Cash went 0-for-10 with a Nava walk in the second inning accounting for the only base runner. Nava flew out to left to end the scoreless eighth after the Red Sox had David Ortiz at second and Kevin Youkilis at first with none out.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE RED SOX

- Adrian Beltre looked very good in his return. Terry Francona said before the game that he would keep a close eye on his regular third baseman, who was making his return to the starting lineup after sitting out Thursday as a precaution while the team took a close look at his left hamstring. Beltre was re-inserted Friday for his offense and in the fourth inning, just after the game resumed following a one-hour rain delay in the top of the inning, Beltre smashed his 14th homer of the season to the second row of Monster seats in left to put the Red Sox up, 3-2.

Beltre also looked sharp in the field, going to his backhand and holding Vladimir Guerrero to a single and saving a run in the fifth inning before Molina’s heroics. Beltre got up awkwardly and limped but remained in the game.

- The middle of the Red Sox order looked good at the plate. After going 0-for-4 on Thursday, Kevin Youkilis bounced back with three hits – including two doubles on Friday – raising his average back to .295. The foursome of David Ortiz, Youkilis, J.D. Drew and Beltre went 7-for-14 and drove in three runs.

- Hideki Okajima made just his second appearance since June 29, allowing one hit and striking out one in a scoreless seventh inning.