Mike Lansing

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Mike Lansing (b. April 3, 1968 in Rawlins, Wyoming) is a former Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and the Boston Red Sox between 1993 and 2001. Lansing also played one season in the Cleveland Indians farm system before retiring after the 2002 season.

[edit] Drafting

Utilizing a never-before-used rule, Lansing was drafted out of Wichita State University late in the 6th round of the 1990 MLB Draft by the Miami Miracle, an independent minor league team. Lansing played two seasons with the Miracle before making the major league with the Expos in 1993.

Lansing was quickly placed in the lineup early on in 1993 as a second baseman. In one of his first-ever games, Lansing had five hits in a win over the Rockies. Ironically, Lansing would have never been inserted into the lineup if Delino DeShields had not contracted chicken pox.

Lansing had his best season in 1996, finishing with a .285 batting average and 183 hits in 159 games. Lansing also had 40 doubles that season, placing 6th.

In 1997 Lansing had another strong season, with career bests in home runs, 20, and RBIs, 70. On May 7, 1997, in a game against the San Francisco Giants, Lansing became the first National League second baseman since Bobby Lowe in 1894 to homer twice in the same inning. Lansing also became the third Expo to do so. After the '97 season, Lansing was traded to the Colorado Rockies for a couple of minor leaguers.

Lansing had a couple of disappointing seasons with the Rockies as injuries took their toll. But on June 18, 2000, in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Lansing hit for the cycle faster than any player in MLB history, completing it by the fourth inning in a 19–2 win. A little more than a month later, Lansing, along with a couple of pitchers, were traded by the Rockies to the Boston Red Sox. He played a couple of mediocre seasons with the Red Sox before being released into free agency after the 2001 season. Lansing was signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Indians, but played in the minors and suffered a back injury before retiring after the 2002 season.