Some feats and records in baseball are rare, and “hitting for the cycle” is one of the rarest moves among them. You can go through this term in some baseball matches.
But what is cycle in baseball? What does it exactly mean?
In this article, we will break it down and will bring forth all the aspects that are related to it.
What is cycle in baseball?
In a single game, when a baseball player hits a single, double, triple, and home run (in any order), then it is called a cycle. In the history of MLB, there have been only 338 cycles. So hitting a cycle is a difficult move in baseball. There are three types of cycles, and they are natural, homerun, and reverse cycles. This classification is made depending on the order of runs.
How rare is a cycle in baseball?
In baseball, the cycle is considered one of the rarest moves. It can happen only a few times in a good player’s career. The number of hits a cycle depends upon the player’s capability and the type of season.
According to Jeff Sackmann, a player’s average probability of hitting for the cycle is approximately 0.00590%. That’s why this is rare.
There are also some seasons where no cycle is hit. The MLB seasons between 1896 and 1901 do not have any “hitting for the cycle.” Till now, this is the longest gap. There are also some examples where multiple cycles are hit in a single season.
For example, you can consider the 2009 and 1933 MLB seasons. Each of these two seasons has recorded 8 cycles.
Cycles in baseball are rare. But, postseason cycles are considered the rarest because in the history of baseball, it has happened only once, and that is in 2018. Brock Holt has bagged the record,; at that time,, he was playing for the Boston Red Sox.
How many baseball players have hit for the cycle?
Hitting a cycle is rare in MLB matches. Still, now, there are a total of 338 cycles in history. Still, some players have bagged two or even three career cycles. There are only five players who have hit three cycles in their career, and there are 24 players who have bagged two cycles.
Who has the most cycles in baseball?
Three cycles are the highest number of cycles scored by a single player in his entire career, and he is Bob Meusel. He made this record in 1921, 1922, and 1928.
Then there is Adrian Beltre. He scored one cycle in 2008 when he was in the Seattle Mariners. And in 2012 and 2015, he scored two cycles, but then he played for the Texas Rangers.
But the coincidence is that in these three cycles, the field was the same., i.e., the Rangers’ ballpark, Globe Life Field. And Beltre is the only player in history to hit cycles for different teams but in the same field.
Next is Babe Herman. He also scored three cycles in his career. Two of them were in 1931 for the Brooklyn Robins, and the last one was in 1933, and at this time, he was in the Chicago Cubs team.
Trea Turner, a player of the Washington Nationals, has also hit three cycles in his baseball career, and that is in 2017, 2019, and 2021. He is the second youngest player to hit a cycle in the history of MLB, and in 2017, he was at his 23.
John Reilly was the very first one to bag this record. He was a player of the Cincinnati Reds, hitting two cycles in 1883 and one in 1890. But it was a time before the ‘modern era.’
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What do 3 cycles mean in baseball?
‘Cycle’ in baseball means hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in a single match. Like ‘no-hitter,’ this move is also very rare in baseball. Three is the maximum number of cycles an individual player has hit in his entire career, and only five have bagged this record.
Has anyone ever completed the cycle in baseball?
In the history of MLB, there are 338 cycles. But there are only 29 Modern Era American or National League players who can bag this record.
Has anyone got a homerun cycle?
In collegiate baseball, there are many records of homerun cycles. But in professional baseball games, there are only two home run cycles. Tyrone Horne scored the oldest one in the year 1998. Then he played for the Arkansas Travelers in a Double-A level Minor League Baseball, and the opposition was the San Antonio Missions.
Chandler Redmond bagged the other record on August 10, 2022. He was a player for the Springfield Cardinals. It was the Texas League, and the opposite team was the Amarillo Sod Poodles.
Did a pitcher ever hit for the cycle?
Jimmy Ryan, on July 28, 1888, hit for the cycle. He started the match as an OF. But later, he moved to the mound.
Are cycles rare than no hitters?
Both of these moves are rare in baseball. But, the no-hitter is rarer than cycles. It became more difficult after 1991 when the MLB committee tightened the definition of a no-hitter.
Who hit for the cycle in 2022?
Five players have hit the cycle in 2022. There is Christian Yelich. He is a player of the Milwaukee Brewers and hit it on 05.11.2022. Eduardo Escobar, a player of the New York Mets, hit for the cycle on 06.06.2022. Then there is Jared Walsh, a player of the Los Angeles Angels, who scored a cycle on 06.11.2022.
Austin Hays, who plays for Baltimore Orioles, hit for the cycle on 06.22.2022. And the last one is Nolan Arenado, a player of the Louis Cardinals who made the record on 07-01-2022.
Conclusion
In baseball, the probability of hitting for a cycle is less than one percent. It is a tough task to get all four hits in a single match; that’s why it is hard. But it is not impossible either. Only a few players are lucky enough to bag this record.
