In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle".[1] Cycles are rare in Major League Baseball (MLB), having occurred fewer than 400 times since 1882.[2][3] The most recent cycle in MLB was accomplished by Weston Wilson of the Philadelphia Phillies on August 15, 2024.[4]
Rarity
The cycle is about as uncommon as a no-hitter;[5][6] it has been called "one of the rarest"[7] and "most difficult feats"[8] in baseball. Based on 2009 offensive levels, the probability of an average MLB player hitting for a cycle against an average team in a game is about 0.0059%; this corresponds to about 21⁄2 cycles in a 162-game season with 30 teams.[9] The most cycles hit in a single major league season is eight, which occurred in both 1933 and 2009.[3]
Under Major League Baseball Rule 6.09(a), the "batter becomes a runner when he hits a fair ball".[16] The single—in which the batter reaches first base without being put out, and without the benefit of a fielding error—is the most common type of hit in baseball: for example, there were 25,838 singles hit during the 1988 MLB season, compared to 6,386 doubles, 840 triples, or 3,180 home runs.[17] The MLB leader in singles is Pete Rose, who is also the league's all-time hit leader.[18] The single-season leader in singles is Ichiro Suzuki, who broke Willie Keeler's 106-year-old record in 2004 by notching 225, 19 more than the previous record.[19] None of the top five players in singles (Rose, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Cap Anson, and Keeler) in MLB history have hit for the cycle;[3] of those five, only Rose had more than 150 home runs,[20] and two (Collins and Keeler), who both played during the dead-ball era, had fewer than 50,[21][22] lessening the probability of their completing the cycle.
Double
A double is a hit in which the batter reaches second base without being put out and without the benefit of a fielding error. This scenario often occurs when a ball is hit into the gaps between the outfielders or down the foul line on either side of the playing field.[23]Tris Speaker is the all-time leader in doubles in MLB history with 792,[24] one of which was part of a cycle; Speaker accomplished the feat for the Boston Red Sox on June 9, 1912, against the St. Louis Browns.[3] Two of the other top five players in MLB history in doubles have hit for the cycle: Stan Musial (725 doubles; third all-time) completed the cycle on July 24, 1949; and Craig Biggio (668; fifth all-time) accomplished the feat on April 8, 2002.[3] The single-season MLB leader is Earl Webb, the left-handed outfielder who hit 67 in 1931.[25]
Triple
The triple, in which the batter reaches third base without being put out and without the benefit of a fielding error, is the "hardest part of a cycle" to complete.[26] Triples are often hit to the same areas as doubles, but may require impressive speed by the runner.[27] It is rare to see a player with slower-than-average running speed complete the cycle, but it has happened, such as when catcherBengie Molina hit for the cycle on July 16, 2010; Molina described himself as "the [slowest] guy in baseball" earlier that season.[28] The MLB all-time leader in triples is Sam Crawford, with 309; he never hit for the cycle.[29] Of the top five players in MLB history in triples, two have hit for the cycle: Honus Wagner in 1912 and Roger Connor in 1890.[3]Chief Wilson hit for the cycle in 1910,[3] two years before he hit for a record 36 triples in a single season.[30]
Home run
A home run is a hit in which the batter reaches home plate, scoring a run on the same play without being put out, and without the benefit of a fielding error. Most often in modern baseball, this occurs when the batter hits the ball over the outfield wall in fair territory. Home-run hitters are commonly believed to be larger, slower players due to their strength, and may not be fast enough to complete the triple.[27] The MLB single-season and all-time leader in home runs is Barry Bonds, who hit 73 home runs in the 2001 season and notched 762 in his 22-season career.[31][32] Bonds never hit for the cycle.[33] Among the MLB leaders in career home runs, the highest-ranking player with a cycle is Alex Rodriguez (fifth all-time; retired in 2016 with 696 home runs),[34] who hit for the cycle on June 5, 1997.[3] Home runs can also occur on a batted ball that does not leave the field of play; this is called an inside-the-park home run.[27] Inside-the-park home runs are rare, and no player has hit one as part of a cycle since 1943.[35]
All of Beltré's cycles occurred at Globe Life Park in Arlington; he is the only player to hit for the cycle with different teams in the same ballpark.[50]
All of Yelich's cycles were hit against the Cincinnati Reds; he is the only player to hit for the cycle three times against the same team.
Forty-four players have hit for the cycle at least twice. Five have hit for the cycle twice in one season:[35]
Bobby Veach (left) and George Burns (right) hit for the cycle on the same day, September 17, 1920.
Natural cycles
The natural cycle, in which the hits come in order from fewest to most total bases (single, double, triple, home run), has been accomplished 15 times in MLB history:[58]
Ten players have collected six hits in the game in which they hit their cycle. Only three of these—by Larry Twitchell, Sam Thompson, and Ian Kinsler—were accomplished in a nine-inning game in the American League or National League.[102]
The earliest in a game that a cycle has been completed is the fourth inning, accomplished by Mike Lansing of the Colorado Rockies on June 18, 2000, when he had a first-inning triple, second-inning homer, third-inning double, and fourth-inning single.[50]
Two players have hit cycles both for and against the same team; Joe Cronin against (1929) and for (1940) the Red Sox, and Adrián Beltré against (2008) and for (2012, 2015) the Rangers.
During his eight seasons playing for the Yokohama BayStars, Bobby Rose hit for three cycles, the most of any Nippon Professional Baseball player. Spaced two seasons apart, his first cycle occurred on May 2, 1995, the next on April 29, 1997, and his final cycle on June 30, 1999. Three NPB players have hit for the cycle twice; Fumio Fujimura (both with the Osaka Tigers), Hiromi Matsunaga (both with the Hankyu/Orix Braves), and Kosuke Fukudome (one with the Chunichi Dragons, and one with the Hanshin Tigers). Fujimura is also the only player to have hit a cycle during both the single league era and the current dual league era.[10]
The natural cycle has been accomplished five times in NPB history. Fumio Fujimura's second cycle on May 25, 1950, was the first time a player collected the hits in order. On average, the natural cycle occurs approximately every 13 years. Other than Fujimura, the four players to hit for the natural cycle are Kazuhiko Kondo in 1961, Takahiro Tokutsu in 1976, Takanori Okamura in 1985, and Muramatsu in 2003. The natural cycle has been accomplished in reverse by Alex Ochoa (2004) and Rosario (2014).[10]
Other related accomplishments
Yakult Swallows catcher Atsuya Furuta is the only player to hit for the cycle in an NPB All-Star game, doing so in game 2 of the 1992 series.[118] Inaba is the only player to hit for the cycle in a rain-shortened game—after hitting a triple in the first inning and hitting a home run in the fourth, Inaba collected the other two necessary hits in a seven-run fifth inning when the order batted around.[116]Kosuke Fukudome is the only NPB player to have hit a grand slam as the home run of the cycle.[119]Hiroshi Ohshita and Kazuhiko Kondo are the only two players to have hit a walk-off home run to win the game as the final hit of their cycles.
Ochoa's cycle with the Chunichi Dragons on April 13, 2004, made him the first (and to date, only) player to hit a cycle in both MLB and NPB. He had previously accomplished the feat on July 3, 1996, while playing for MLB's New York Mets.[120]
There was 31 people accomplished throughout history of KBO League.
Multiple cycles
Eric Thames hit for the cycle twice during the 2015 season of the KBO League.[121] Thames is the only KBO League player to hit for two cycles in one season. Only two players have hit for the cycle twice in their KBO League career: Thames and Yang Joon-hyuk, both with the Samsung Lions.[citation needed]
Natural cycles
The natural cycle has been accomplished twice in KBO history. Kim Eung-Gook of the Lotte Giants did it in 1996, and Kim Do-yeong of the KIA Tigers did on July 23, 2024.[122]
There has only one reverse natural cycle in KBO History. Kang Seung-Ho of the Doosan Bears did it on September 15, 2023.[123]
Other related accomplishments
Oh yun-seok is the only KBO player to have hit a grand slam as the home run of the cycle. [124]
Ahn Chi-Yong's cycle with the LG Twins on June 26, 2008, made him the first (and to date, only) player to hit a cycle in both KBO League and KBO Futures League. He had previously accomplished the feat on April 15, 2003, while playing for LG Twins Second Team.[125][126]
See also
Home run cycle, when a player hits a solo home run, two-run home run, three-run home run, and grand slam all in one game
^Swearingen, Randall (2007). "13: Riding the Cycle". A Great Teammate: The Legend of Mickey Mantle. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 85. ISBN978-1-59670-194-6.