From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eric Davis hit for the cycle in 1989

In baseball, a player hits for the cycle when he hits a single, a double, a triple and a home run in the same game, though not necessarily in that order. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a natural cycle.

The feat is rare in Major League Baseball as it requires a game of no fewer than four hits, and the unusual combination of a home run, which requires a batter to hit for some power, and a triple, which requires a batter to have both speed on the basepaths and a favorable fall of the ball.

Thus, hitting for the cycle demonstrates excellence in three of the five "tools" of baseball (see five-tool player). The accomplishment is held in high enough esteem that players needing only a single to complete the cycle have been known to hold up at first base on balls hit in the alley.

There are only three current major league teams that, to date, have not had a player hit for the cycle – the San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. No player has ever hit for the cycle in a post-season game.

Listed below are the 276 occurrences of players hitting for the cycle in Major League Baseball (players with multiple occurrences denoted in parentheses, natural cycles in bold):

• There have been 14 natural cycles in the major leagues; eight in the National League and six in the American League.
• There have been six cycles in which the home run was a grand slam. This happened five times in the American League and once in the National League
• On June 3, 1932, Tony Lazzeri became the only player in major league history to accomplish both feats listed above: hitting a natural cycle and ending it with a grand slam. This is often overlooked because Lazzeri did it in the same game that teammate Lou Gehrig hit four home runs.
• Nap Lajoie, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, and Chuck Klein all hit for the cycle in the same season that they won the Triple Crown.
• Gary Ward (1980) and Daryle Ward (2004) became the first father/son combo to hit for the cycle.
• Gus Bell (1951) and David Bell (2004) became the first grandfather/grandson combo to hit for the cycle.
• Luke Scott's first career home run came as a part of his reverse natural cycle.
• There are only three players in major league history to hit four home runs in one game and also hit for the cycle – Lou Gehrig (two cycles), Chuck Klein (two cycles) and Gil Hodges.
• John Olerud and Bob Watson are the only players to hit for the cycle in both leagues.
• On August 29, 1948, Jackie Robinson became the first African American player to hit for the cycle in the major leagues.

• MLB.com (omits defunct franchises)
• Baseball Almanac
• Baseball Reference
• Hickok Sports
• http://www.retrosheet.org/cycles.htm