Hitting for the cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting 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". Cycles are semi-rare in Major League Baseball, having occurred only 330 times, starting with Curry Foley in 1882. The most recent cycle was accomplished by Cavan Biggio of the Toronto Blue Jays on September 17, 2019, against the Baltimore Orioles.
The Miami Marlins are the only current MLB franchise who have never had a player hit for the cycle.
Rarity
The cycle is about as uncommon as a no-hitter; it has been called "one of the rarest" and "most difficult feats" 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 approximately 0.00590%; this corresponds to about 2 cycles in a 162-game season with 30 teams. The most cycles hit in a single major league season is eight, which occurred in both 1933 and 2009.In other baseball leagues, the cycle is achieved less frequently. Through May 2019, there have been 74 cycles hit in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top-level baseball organization in Japan, the most recent being by Umeno Ryutaro on April 9, 2019. One NPB player, Atsuya Furuta, has also hit for the cycle in an NPB All-Star game. No player has ever hit for the cycle in the MLB All-Star Game. One MLB player has hit for the cycle in a postseason game, Brock Holt of the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS.
Two players have hit for the cycle on the same day once in NPB history; this has occurred twice in MLB history. There have never been multiple cycles completed in a single MLB or NPB game; this is known to have occurred twice in Minor League Baseball — on April 11, 2018, by Gio Brusa and Jalen Miller of the Class A-Advanced San Jose Giants, and on August 7, 2018, by Kevin Newman and Jacob Stallings of the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.
A "home run cycle"—hitting home runs with zero, one, two, and three runners on base, all in the same game—has not been accomplished in MLB. As of 2020, only 18 players have hit four home runs in an MLB game, and only twice has one of the home runs been a grand slam. The home run cycle has been accomplished at other levels of play, examples include: Minor League Baseball, in July 1998 by Tyrone Horne for the Arkansas Travelers; college softball, in April 2011 by a player for the Florida State Seminoles and in February 2019 by a player for the Arkansas Razorbacks; high school baseball, in April 2019 by a player for Perrysburg High School in Ohio; and Little League Baseball, in June 2014 by a player in Elkton, Maryland.
Components
Single
Pursuant to Major League Baseball Rule 6.09, " batter becomes a runner when he hits a fair ball". 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. The MLB leader in singles is Pete Rose, who is also the league's all-time hit leader. 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. None of the top five players in singles in MLB history have hit for the cycle; of those five, only Rose had more than 150 home runs, and two, who both played during the dead-ball era, had fewer than 50, 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. Tris Speaker is the all-time leader in doubles in MLB history, with 792, 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. Two of the other top five players in MLB history in doubles have hit for the cycle: Stan Musial completed the cycle on July 24, 1949; and Craig Biggio accomplished the feat on April 8, 2002. The single-season MLB leader is Earl Webb, the left-handed outfielder who hit 67 in 1931.Triple
The triple, in which the batter reaches third base without being put out, and without the benefit of a fielding error, is often called the "hardest part of the cycle" to complete. Hitting a triple often comes under similar hit placement as a double, but may require impressive speed on the part of the runner. Because of this, it is rare to see a player with slower-than-average running speed complete the cycle, but it has happened, such as when catcher Bengie Molina hit for the cycle on July 16, 2010; Molina described himself as "the guy in baseball" earlier that season. The MLB all-time leader in triples is Sam Crawford, who completed the three-base hit 309 times in his career; however, none of those triples was ever part of a cycle. Of the top five players in MLB history in triples, two – Honus Wagner and Roger Connor—have hit for the cycle: Connor in 1890 and Wagner in 1912. The MLB single-season record holder for triples, Chief Wilson, hit for the cycle in 1910, two years before his record-setting season in which he hit 36 triples.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. 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. Bonds never hit for the cycle. Of MLB leaders in career home runs, the highest ranking player with a cycle is Alex Rodriguez, who hit for the cycle on June 5, 1997. 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. Inside-the-park home runs are rare, and no player has hit one as part of a cycle since 1943.Accomplishments
Major League Baseball
Multiple cycles
The most career cycles hit by an MLB player is three, accomplished by four players: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.
Forty-four players have hit for the cycle at least twice. Five players have hit for the cycle twice in one season:
One player has hit for the cycle twice against the same team in one season, Christian Yelich against the Cincinnati Reds in 2018.
Cycles have occurred on the same day twice in MLB history; on September 17, 1920, hit by Bobby Veach of the Detroit Tigers and George Burns of the New York Giants, and again on September 1, 2008, when the Arizona Diamondbacks' Stephen Drew and the Seattle Mariners' Adrián Beltré each completed the four-hit group. Conversely, the longest period of time between two players hitting for the cycle was 5 years, 1 month, and 10 days, a drought lasting from Bill Joyce cycle in 1896 to Harry Davis in 1901.
Natural cycles
The natural cycle, in which the hits come in order from fewest to most total bases, has been accomplished 14 times in MLB history:was hit by Tony Lazzeri in 1932.
| Year | Player | Team | League | Ref. |
| 1910 | Bill Collins | Boston Doves | National League | |
| 1926 | Bob Fothergill | Detroit Tigers | American League | |
| 1932 | Tony Lazzeri | New York Yankees | American League | |
| 1939 | Charlie Gehringer | Detroit Tigers | American League | |
| 1943 | Leon Culberson | Boston Red Sox | American League | |
| 1963 | Jim Hickman | New York Mets | National League | |
| 1964 | Ken Boyer | St. Louis Cardinals | National League | |
| 1966 | Billy Williams | Chicago Cubs | National League | |
| 1976 | Tim Foli | Montreal Expos | National League | |
| 1979 | Bob Watson | Boston Red Sox | American League | |
| 1996 | John Mabry | St. Louis Cardinals | National League | |
| 2000 | José Valentín | Chicago White Sox | American League | |
| 2003 | Brad Wilkerson | Montreal Expos | National League | |
| 2006 | Gary Matthews Jr. | Texas Rangers | American League |
Reverse cycles
The natural cycle has been accomplished in reverse —also known as an "unnatural" cycle—ten times:| Year | Player | Team | League | Ref. |
| 1882 | Curry Foley | Buffalo Bisons | National League | |
| 1887 | Bid McPhee | Cincinnati Red Stockings | American Association | |
| 1904 | Sam Mertes | New York Giants | National League | |
| 1937 | Gee Walker | Detroit Tigers | American League | |
| 1939 | Arky Vaughan | Pittsburgh Pirates | National League | |
| 1948 | Jackie Robinson | Brooklyn Dodgers | National League | |
| 1968 | Jim Fregosi | California Angels | American League | |
| 2006 | Luke Scott | Houston Astros | National League | |
| 2008 | Carlos Gómez | Minnesota Twins | American League | |
| 2016 | Rajai Davis | Cleveland Indians | American League |
Other related accomplishments
Nine players have hit a grand slam as part of their cycle:| Year | Player | Team | League | Ref. |
| 1882 | Curry Foley | Buffalo Bisons | National League | |
| 1901 | Nap Lajoie | Philadelphia Athletics | American League | |
| 1928 | Bill Terry | New York Giants | National League | |
| 1932 | Tony Lazzeri | New York Yankees | American League | |
| 1933 | Jimmie Foxx | Philadelphia Athletics | American League | |
| 1993 | Jay Buhner | Seattle Mariners | American League | |
| 2001 | Miguel Tejada | Oakland Athletics | American League | |
| 2009 | Jason Kubel | Minnesota Twins | American League | |
| 2010 | Bengie Molina | Texas Rangers | American League |
completed his cycle with a walk-off home run.
Six players have had a walk-off home run as the final hit of their cycles:
| Year | Player | Team | League | Ref. |
| 1961 | Ken Boyer | St. Louis Cardinals | National League | |
| 1972 | César Tovar | Minnesota Twins | American League | |
| 1979 | George Brett | Kansas City Royals | American League | |
| 1984 | Dwight Evans | Boston Red Sox | American League | |
| 2010 | Carlos González | Colorado Rockies | National League | |
| 2017 | Nolan Arenado | Colorado Rockies | National League |
went 6-for-6 on the day of his cycle.
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.
| Year | Player | Team | League | Ref. |
| 1883 | John Reilly | Cincinnati Red Stockings | American Association | |
| 1885 | Dave Orr | New York Metropolitans | American Association | |
| 1885 | Henry Larkin | Philadelphia Athletics | American Association | |
| 1889 | Larry Twitchell | Cleveland Spiders | National League | |
| 1890 | Farmer Weaver | Louisville Colonels | American Association | |
| 1894 | Sam Thompson | Philadelphia Phillies | National League | |
| 1920 | Bobby Veach | Detroit Tigers | American League | |
| 1995 | Rondell White | Montreal Expos | National League | |
| 2009 | Ian Kinsler | Texas Rangers | American League | |
| 2018 | Christian Yelich | Milwaukee Brewers | National League |
indicates an extra-innings game
Kinsler's six-hit cycle came on Jackie Robinson Day, honoring the African-American pioneer who had hit for the cycle in 1948.
hit for the cycle and won the AL Triple Crown.
The most recent player to hit for the cycle with an inside-the-park home run was Leon Culberson in 1943.
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.
Four batters hit for the cycle in the same season in which they won the Triple Crown; Nap Lajoie, Jimmie Foxx, Chuck Klein, and Lou Gehrig. Gehrig is the only player to complete the MLB Triple Crown in his cycle-hitting season, leading both leagues in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.
Five players have hit for the cycle in the same season in which they won a Most Valuable Player award; Jimmie Foxx in 1933, Ted Williams in 1946, Mickey Mantle in 1957, and both Mookie Betts and Christian Yelich in 2018.
Three players — John Olerud, Michael Cuddyer, and Bob Watson — have hit for the cycle in both the National League and American League.
Three family pairs have hit for the cycle; father and son Gary Ward and Daryle Ward, grandfather and grandson Gus Bell and David Bell, and father and son Craig Biggio and Cavan Biggio.
Two players have hit cycles both for and against the same team; Joe Cronin against the Red Sox and for the Red Sox, and Adrián Beltré against the Rangers and for the Rangers.
One player, Brock Holt of the Boston Red Sox, hit for the cycle in a postseason game: Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS, on October 8, 2018, against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
Nippon Professional Baseball
Multiple cycles
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, Hiromi Matsunaga, and Kosuke Fukudome. Fujimura is also the only player to have hit a cycle during both the single league era and the current dual league era.The 2003 NPB season saw the most cycles hit in a single season—five. That season also saw the only instance of cycles occurring on the same day: on July 1, hit by Atsunori Inaba of the Yakult Swallows and Arihito Muramatsu of the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. The next day, Shinjiro Hiyama became the third player to hit for the cycle in two days. Conversely, the longest period of time between two players hitting for the cycle was 5 years, 11 months, and 30 days, a drought lasting from Michihiro Ogasawara cycle in 2008 to Rainel Rosario in 2014.