DENVER (Reuters) - Carlos Beltran became the first player this season to hit three home runs in a Major League game, blasting the New York Mets to a 9-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies Thursday.
Switch-hitter Beltran launched homers from both sides of the plate in the first and seventh innings before adding a final bomb in the ninth.
He also finished with six RBIs and is the first Met to achieve the three-homer feat since Jose Reyes in 2006.
"Being able to do something like this, I feel like a little kid," Beltran told reporters.
Beltran, who has dealt with multiple knee injuries that have sidelined him for much of the past two seasons, is in the final year of a seven-year $119 million contract.
"I never lost my faith in what I'm capable of doing on the field," he said. "I know that I can play this game at a very high level."
Beltran's performance made up for the absence of the ailing David Wright and Ike Davis.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
