Cubs' Bryant falls double short of cycle in rookie showdown

Kris Bryant isn't used to sharing the spotlight. A single, triple and home run later, and all the attention was back on him.

The Chicago Cubs rookie spoiled Noah Syndergaard's debut, victimizing the New York Mets right-hander for a single, triple and walk in his first four plate appearances before slamming his third homer in four games off reliever Hansel Robles on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.

"He's just a special talent," Cubs starter Jake Arrieta told reporters after the Cubs' 6-1 win. "It's fun to watch him play every day. I look forward to watching him grow."

Even Bryant's lone out was impressive. In his first at-bat of the night, he turned on Syndergaard's 98-mph fastball and lined out with a hard-hit ball to center.

"He's got huge power, I can tell you that," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He's going to be a real, real good hitter."

Bryant's elite approach was on full display with two outs in the fifth, when the top prospect in baseball crushed a 96-mph fastball on a 2-0 count the other way for his first career triple.

Bryant, 23, also impressed with his glove and speed, beating out an infield single in the third and snagging a sharply-hit grounder in the seventh for the putout. Manager Joe Maddon summed up Bryant's performance by simply stating: "He's a baseball player, man."

Tuesday's offensive onslaught raised Bryant's season slash line to .276/.417/.460 with nine extra-base hits in 24 games.

(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)