Baseball is a sport filled with amazing feats of athleticism and skill, but one of the rarest and most impressive is hitting for the cycle. To hit for the cycle means that a player has hit a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. There have been 339 cycles hit in Major League Baseball history, with the most recent coming this week, on April 11, 2023, when Luis Arraez of the Miami Marlins hit for the cycle against the Washington Nationals. It was the first cycle in Marlins history! Let’s look at some fun facts related to the cycle:
1. The first player to hit for the cycle in MLB history was Curry Foley of the Buffalo Bisons on May 25, 1882.
2. In 1933, Philadelphia Athletics teammates Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx and Pinky Higgins all hit for the cycle. That’s a pretty cool feat, right? They did in a span of two weeks! Can you imagine?
3. While hitting for the cycle is a rare and impressive feat, some players have managed to do it more than once. Bob Meusel, Adrian Beltre, Babe Herman, Trea Turner and John Reilly have all done it three times. Reilly, Herman and Yellich all did it twice in the same season.
4. Six games have ended via a “cycle walk off. On June 18, 2017, Nolan Arenado became the most recent player to end a game with a homerun and have it complete his cycle
5. There are nine games in MLB history which feature a cycle with a grand slam. The most recent was Bengie Molina on July 16, 2010. The most exciting game in which a cycle with a grand slam occurred, was in 1932 whenTony Lazzeri completed this feat and Lou Gehrig hit four home runs!
6. John Reilly and Tip O’Neill each hit for the cycle 7 days apart in 1883 and 1887. George Brett, on the other hand, also hit for the cycle twice. His, however, took 11 years and 57 days between each. He hit his first on May 28, 1979 and his second on July 25, 1990
7. There have been 18 cycles hit in natural order (1B, 2B, 3B, HR) and 11 cycles hit in reverse order (HR, 3B, 2B, 1B)
8. The two oldest players to hit for the cycle in each league are Dave Winfield (AL, 39 years, 264 days) and Cy Williams (NL, 39 years, 227 days. The two youngest players to hit for the cycle in each league are Mike Trout (AL, 21 years, 288 days) and Mel Ott (NL, 20 years, 75 days)
9. The only father son duo to complete the feat are Gary and Daryle Ward who completed it in 1980 and 2004 respectively
10. Brock Holt has the only ever postseason cycle when he hit his during Game 3 of the ALDS
11. The Pirates lead the MLB in cycles hit with 24!
Hitting for the cycle is a rare and impressive feat that requires a combination of skill, athleticism, and luck. It is a feat that players and fans alike are sure to remember. At Jax Batting Gloves, we love complete hitters who get base knocks and launch balls into the stands. So… go get yourself a pair! The only question to ask now is, who’s next?