White Sox rookie Tristan Peters hits for the cycle, first for franchise in 9 years

CHICAGO (AP) — Tristan Peters didn't have much time to think about his chances to hit for the cycle. But when the Chicago White Sox rookie came up for a second time in the seventh inning Friday night, he knew what to do.

Needing a triple for the cycle after homering earlier in the seventh, Peters hit a hard grounder past Athletics first baseman Joey Meneses and down the right-field line. He never hesitated as he rounded second — ignoring a stop sign from third base coach Justin Jirschele — and beat the relay throw with a headfirst slide into third, drawing a huge ovation.

“When I hit the ball, I was thinking three,” he said.

Peters became the first White Sox player to hit for the cycle since Jose Abreu on Sept. 9, 2017, and the fifth in major league history to do it from the No. 9 spot in the batting order. The way he did it was even more rare.

According to MLB, Peters became just the third player since 1961 to get two hits in the same inning to complete the cycle. The others were Felix Pie in 2009 and Jim Ray Hart in 1950.

“It’s No. 1, for sure,” Peters said when asked where it ranked among his career achievements. “That was incredible. It’s awesome, amazing.”

The 26-year-old from Canada made his big league debut last Aug. 8. This was his 93rd career game. He raised his batting average to .303 with his 4-for-4 night, driving in four runs and scoring two as the White Sox beat the Athletics 14-1.

“It’s impressive, there haven’t been too many of those,” Chicago manager Will Venable said. “Those are pretty rare, and Tristan has done such a good job of playing the right way — putting swings on good pitches to hit.”

Surprising Chicago remained atop the AL Central, percentage points ahead of Cleveland.

Peters was stranded at second after his two-out double to center in the third. In the fifth, his run-scoring single to right made it 2-0.

In the seventh, Peters followed Kyle Teel's leadoff walk with a two-run homer. His triple drove in the last run of an eight-run inning in which the White Sox sent 12 men to the plate.

He's the third major leaguer to hit for the cycle this season, joining the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Phillies' Bryce Harper.

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Chicago White Sox's Tristan Peters, left, celebrates with closing pitcher Tyler Davis, center, after defeating the Athletics in a baseball game in Chicago, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Chicago White Sox's Tristan Peters, right, slides safely into third base for an RBI triple while the Athletics third baseman Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, left, catches the throw during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Chicago White Sox's Tristan Peters (29) celebrates with manager Will Venable, right, at the dugout after scoring on a Miguel Vargus sacrifice fly during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics in Chicago, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Chicago White Sox's Tristan Peters (29) celebrates with teammate Munetaka Murakami (5) at the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against The Athletics in Chicago, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Chicago White Sox's Tristan Peters, right, slides safely into third base for an RBI triple while Athletics third baseman Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, center, catches the throw during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Chicago White Sox's Tristan Peters reacts after hitting a foul ball during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Chicago, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

BELHAVEN, N.C. (AP) — Investors and scientists are restoring a 23-square-mile (60-square-kilometer) tract of peatland in North Carolina's Inner Banks to curb emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide and regenerate native habitat.

Fifty miles (80 kilometers) of ditches dug decades ago for an abandoned farming venture drained much of the water from thousands of years of accumulated peat — partially decayed organic matter up to 15 feet (4.6 meters) deep — leaving the site vulnerable to drought and wildfires, altering native habitats and allowing it to emit 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year.

Here are key takeaways from The Associated Press’ reporting:

Though they account for just 3% of the global land surface, peatlands store about one-third of the Earth’s carbon dioxide, more than all forests combined. But when degraded, destroyed or burned they become part of the problem, releasing huge volumes of greenhouse gases, now about 6% of the annual global total from all sources.

When peatlands are intact, gases generated by decomposing plants are trapped in a waterlogged, oxygen-deprived environment, while surface vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, scientists say.

They also store about 10% of global fresh water, help control flooding and can help stem wildfires, as well as provide important habitat for many species.

Two-thirds of temperate peatlands — mostly in Europe and the U.S. — have been dewatered for farming, mining and other uses, while about 45% of tropical peatlands have been similarly disturbed, according to a 2025 study published by The Society for Conservation Biology.

Boreal peatlands, in colder climates in places like Canada and Russia, are about 90% intact, but face growing pressure from thawing permafrost and intense fires, both linked to climate change, as well as mining and critical minerals exploration.

Saturated peatlands are nearly fireproof: Just the surface vegetation and a few inches of peat burn, releasing nutrients, regenerating seed banks and creating beneficial biochar.

But when they’re dry, fire can burn underground for weeks or months — drying out and destroying even saturated layers — emitting enormous volumes of carbon dioxide and destroying thousands of years of accumulation.

In North Carolina, 11,000 miles (17,702 kilometers) of canals drain peatlands before the water empties into coastal estuaries. And the type of peatlands found there, and for hundreds of miles along the Eastern Seaboard, are among the most threatened in the world.

Colorado-based Pantheon Regeneration plans to restore its property by blocking off ditches to control the water table and significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Then it will cull invasive species and replant native grasses, flowers and other plants.

Pantheon plans to sell carbon credits to tech companies and other corporations that want to compensate for their own greenhouse gas emissions, then use the money to restore and preserve a million acres of peatland from Virginia to northern Florida over the next decade.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

An agricultural field in a peatland area is visible Monday, May 4, 2026, in Roper, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Fire-damaged trees stand in an area of peatland Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Neal Flanagan, a research scientist at Duke University, works near a solar panel powering a sensor that measures carbon emissions Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Construction materials sit near a peatland restoration site Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Curtis Richardson, an ecology professor at Duke University, holds peat soil Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)