Athletics at Chicago White Sox

CHICAGO – Center fielder Tristan Peters was mic’d up in conjunction with CHSN’s all-access home Friday broadcast for the White Sox series opener against the A’s. Peters was gregarious, talkative and … Oh, yes, he hit for the seventh cycle in franchise history during a 14-1 White Sox thumping of the Athletics. Maybe every game can become all-access where the left-handed-hitting rookie is concerned. “Yeah, I feel like I have to wear it for the rest of the year at this point,” said a smiling Peters at the postgame media session. Per Elias, Peters became the third player in at least the expansion era (since 1961) to complete the cycle by getting two hits in the same inning, joining the Orioles' Felix Pie (seventh inning, Aug. 14, 2009, single and triple) and the Giants' Jim Ray Hart (fifth inning, July 8, 1970, triple and home run). He also became the fifth player since at least 1900 to achieve the cycle as a No. 9 hitter. It takes a great deal to bump Munetaka Murakami from the No. 1 White Sox story, especially when the first baseman returned from his 35-game absence caused by a Grade 2 right hamstring strain. Murakami also was named an American League All-Star Friday, joining teammate Miguel Vargas, and was the final entrant in the All-Star Home Run Derby in Philadelphia. Let’s not forget Sean Burke (6-4), who has become a bonafide top-of-the-rotation, Game 1 playoff starter, and continued his recent dominance on Friday by yielding only Tyler Soderstrom’s home run over seven innings, and striking out nine without a walk. In Burke’s last 32 innings, covering five starts, he has 42 strikeouts and has walked five with six runs allowed. In his last two starts, Burke has 20 strikeouts and no walks in 13 innings. But this night belonged to Peters, the 26-year-old from Winkler, Manitoba, who joined George Kottaras in 2011 as the only native Canadians who hit for the cycle. Peters finished his schooling at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, met his wife in Arizona on the line dancing circuit and once played for the Savannah Bananas. In fact, a Macarena-themed dugout celebration with Murakami was steeped in the Bananas’ tradition. “One of the dances he was doing was that, so we just kind of built it off from there and started dancing,” said a smiling Murakami through interpreter Kenzo Yagi. “It was a while since we did our dance. I think his hips got loose and that’s why he was able to get that cycle today.” “I’m honored. The coolest thing I’ve ever done,” P