PAUL HOYNES
PLAIN DEALER REPORTER

MINNEAPOLIS - If there are a few uneven rows in Terry Hafner's wheat field today in Sykeston, N.D., it's understandable. Travis Hafner became the first Indian to hit for the cycle in 25 years yesterday.

Hafner homered, doubled, singled and tripled in his first four at-bats as the Indians beat the Twins, 8-3, behind the splendid pitching of lefty Brian Anderson.

Bev Hafner was in the Metrodome to watch her son accomplish one of baseball's rarest feats. So were about 30 or 40 family members and friends, who made the six-hour drive from Sykeston to Minneapolis.

But Hafner's father, Terry, and his brother, Troy couldn't make it

"It's harvesting time on the farm," said Hafner. "I know my dad was really disappointed, but they had to get the wheat in."

Hafner, however, was almost sure Terry and Troy were watching.

"We've got a TV on the tractor and they get all the Twins games," said Hafner.

Thus there are perhaps a few crooked rows in that field today.

Asked how many acres the farm was, Hafner laughed and said, "Just enough to drive you nuts. I spent a lot of time on that tractor growing up and I'd rather be doing this than that."

Andre Thronton was the last Indian to hit for the cycle. He did it on April 22, 1979 at Fenway Park against four different pitchers. Hafner homered, doubled and singled against Brad Radke (8-10, 5.09 ERA). He completed the cycle with a triple off James Baldwin in the eighth.

"After he got the single in the seventh inning, we were sitting on the bench talking about what parts of the field he could hit it to for a triple," said Anderson. "As soon as the ball left his bat, everybody on the bench jumped up. It's a great day for him."

Hafner showed little excitement after the game. Always good for a one-liner or two, he seemed stunned.

"Maybe this will mean more to me in a few years," he said. "I'll look back on it and be proud. But right now I'm just glad we won the game."

The Indians took three of four from a Twins team that looked dead after playing 14 innings Wednesday night only to lose 5-0.

Casey Blake, who hit his 14th homer in the seventh, presented Hafner with a game ball.

"I think the guys got the biggest kick out of watching me run the bases," said Hafner.

Hafner is big (6-3, 240) and bald and goes by the nickname of Pronk - Part Project, Pard Donkey. He runs as his nickname sounds.

"Eddie Murray was all over me," said Hafner. "He told me, 'I've seen a couple of other cycles, but none more enjoyable than yours.' He liked my head-first slides."

Hafner's day started with a homer over the right field wall in the second. The ball appeared to bounce through a hole in a Subway advertisement promising a fan $25,000 if someone hit a ball in that exact spot. But the ball had to go through the hole on the fly and had to be hit by a Twin.

In the fourth, Hafner bounced a turf hit past Radke and over second base.

He turned it into a double with a burrowing head-first slide.

"This is the only place I'd get a hit like that," said Hafner.

Hafner beat out a high-chop single in the seventh and hustled to second when Radke made a throwing error. Then came the triple, a drive to the fence in right center.