# Hitting for the cycle
**Hitting for the cycle** is a baseball accomplishment in which one batter hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game.[1](https://www.mlb.com/news/phillies-cycle-history) [Collecting](https://www.edgepedia.org/collecting) the four hits in that order, from fewest to most total bases, is known as a "natural cycle."[1](https://www.mlb.com/news/phillies-cycle-history) The feat is rare in [Major League Baseball](https://www.edgepedia.org/major-league-baseball) because it requires a game of at least four hits and an unusual combination of skills: the home run demands power, while the triple demands speed on the basepaths and a favorable fall of the ball.[2](https://baseball.fandom.com/wiki/Hitting_for_the_cycle)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Definition | One batter hits a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game; in order, it is a "natural cycle"[1](https://www.mlb.com/news/phillies-cycle-history) |
| Frequency | An average of about two cycles per year in MLB history[3](https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/jimmie-foxx-hits-for-cycle) |
| Total count | 351 documented regular-season cycles from 1876 to 2023, including seven in the Negro Leagues[4](https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-pitchers-cycle-definition-and-achievers-1893-2023/) |
| First cycle | Curry Foley, Buffalo Bisons, 1882; some sources list George Hall on June 14, 1876[5](https://sabr.org/journal/article/origin-of-the-phrase-hitting-for-the-cycle-and-an-approach-to-how-cycles-occur/) |
| Career record | Three cycles, by six players: John Reilly, Bob Meusel, Babe Herman, Adrian Beltre, Trea Turner, and Christian Yelich[6](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/411589-most-times-hitting-for-the-cycle) |
| Postseason | Brock Holt, Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS, is the only player to hit for the cycle in a postseason game[7](https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Cycle) |
| Term's origin | The word "cycle" was first used in 1921, for George Sisler's accomplishment; the first printed use of "hit for the cycle" came in 1933[5](https://sabr.org/journal/article/origin-of-the-phrase-hitting-for-the-cycle-and-an-approach-to-how-cycles-occur/) |
## Why the feat is difficult
A cycle requires excellence in three of the five traditional "tools" of baseball: hitting for average, hitting for power, and running speed.[2](https://baseball.fandom.com/wiki/Hitting_for_the_cycle) The triple is the binding constraint. It is the least common hit in the modern game, and a player must combine it with the power needed for a home run in the same afternoon. Any type of hitter can complete one: small players have muscled up for home runs, slow catchers have legged out triples, and power hitters have reached on infield singles.[8](https://www.mlb.com/news/every-mlb-team-s-most-recent-cycle)
The rarity shows in franchise history. The [Philadelphia Phillies](https://www.edgepedia.org/philadelphia-phillies) have played 21,886 games since 1883 and have seen only 11 cycles, by 10 different players.[1](https://www.mlb.com/news/phillies-cycle-history) The Miami Marlins needed 30 years to record their first, and the [San Diego Padres](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-diego-padres), founded in 1969, did not have one until 2015, nearly five decades into their existence.[9](https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/players-who-hit-for-the-cycle-c265552018.html)
## History of the term
The accomplishment is older than its name. The word "cycle" first appeared in 1921, written for [George Sisler](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-sisler), whose feat was the 70th cycle in baseball history at that time; the phrase's second appearance came nearly a decade later.[5](https://sabr.org/journal/article/origin-of-the-phrase-hitting-for-the-cycle-and-an-approach-to-how-cycles-occur/) According to *The Dickson Baseball Dictionary*, the first printed use of "hit for the cycle" was in 1933, when *The Washington Post* described [Jimmie Foxx](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmie-foxx)'s accomplishment of August 14, 1933.[5](https://sabr.org/journal/article/origin-of-the-phrase-hitting-for-the-cycle-and-an-approach-to-how-cycles-occur/) The term did not become popular until the mid-1930s, a high-hitting era that produced more cycles than any other period in major league history.[7](https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Cycle)
The feat itself dates to the sport's early professional years. Some sources, including Retrosheet and Baseball-Reference.com, list George Hall as the first, in a game on June 14, 1876.[5](https://sabr.org/journal/article/origin-of-the-phrase-hitting-for-the-cycle-and-an-approach-to-how-cycles-occur/) Foley completed his cycle in reverse sequence, connecting for a first-inning grand slam, a third-inning triple, a fifth-inning double, and a seventh-inning single, with every hit coming against George Washington Bradley.[10](https://sabr.org/journal/article/hitting-for-the-cycle/)
## Frequency and notable cycles
In MLB history there are an average of about two cycles per year.[3](https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/jimmie-foxx-hits-for-cycle) Counts vary with the source's scope: Baseball Almanac lists 344 cycles from Curry Foley in 1882 through Jose Altuve in 2023, including [Brock Holt](https://www.edgepedia.org/brock-holt)'s postseason cycle;[11](https://sabr.org/journal/article/desperately-seeking-singles-the-palpable-heartache-of-near-miss-cycles/) a SABR study counts 351 documented regular-season cycles from 1876 to 2023, including seven verified Negro Leagues cycles;[4](https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-pitchers-cycle-definition-and-achievers-1893-2023/) and the Elias Sports Bureau counts 353, including the postseason and defunct teams.[9](https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/players-who-hit-for-the-cycle-c265552018.html)
Some years produce none at all, including the first six years of the [National League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-league), and no player completed the cycle in either league in 1955–56, 1967, or 1969.[10](https://sabr.org/journal/article/hitting-for-the-cycle/) The peak year on record is 1933, when eight different major-league batters hit for the cycle.[5](https://sabr.org/journal/article/origin-of-the-phrase-hitting-for-the-cycle-and-an-approach-to-how-cycles-occur/) Foxx's cycle that August 14 came with nine runs batted in, breaking Roy Hartzell's American League record of eight RBI set in 1911.[3](https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/jimmie-foxx-hits-for-cycle)
## Multiple cycles
Hitting one cycle involves luck as much as skill; hitting several takes sustained ability. Six players have hit three cycles in their careers: John Reilly (1883, 1883, 1890), Bob Meusel (1921, 1922, 1928), Babe Herman (1931, 1931, 1933), Adrian Beltre (2008, 2012, 2015), [Trea Turner](https://www.edgepedia.org/trea-turner) (2017, 2019, 2021), and [Christian Yelich](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-yelich) (2018, 2018, 2022).[11](https://sabr.org/journal/article/desperately-seeking-singles-the-palpable-heartache-of-near-miss-cycles/) No one has hit a fourth.[11](https://sabr.org/journal/article/desperately-seeking-singles-the-palpable-heartache-of-near-miss-cycles/)
**Clustering.** Aaron Hill hit two cycles 11 days apart in 2012, joining Herman, who hit two in 1931 two months apart, and two 19th-century players, Reilly and [Tip O'Neill](https://www.edgepedia.org/tip-oneill), who did so in 1883 and 1887.[7](https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Cycle) Yelich, in 2018, was the first Live Ball Era player to accomplish two cycles versus one club within the same season, doing so against the [Cincinnati Reds](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati-reds) with fewer than four weeks between them; when he hit his third cycle, in 2022, the opponent was again [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati).[7](https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Cycle) • [12](https://www.mlb.com/news/players-who-hit-for-multiple-cycles-c295035814)
## Near misses and variants
Players fall short of the cycle far more often than they complete it. A search of 1901 through 2023 found at least 6,146 attempts that fell a home run short, 15,659 that fell a triple short, 2,058 that failed to register the necessary double, and at least 520 that fell a single short, starting with Chick Stahl of the Boston Americans on August 20, 1901.[11](https://sabr.org/journal/article/desperately-seeking-singles-the-palpable-heartache-of-near-miss-cycles/) The odds of missing by a particular hit correlate with how often that hit occurs, which is why the triple is the leg most often missing.[11](https://sabr.org/journal/article/desperately-seeking-singles-the-palpable-heartache-of-near-miss-cycles/) • [5](https://sabr.org/journal/article/origin-of-the-phrase-hitting-for-the-cycle-and-an-approach-to-how-cycles-occur/)
**Related feats.** The natural cycle, with the hits coming in order from single to home run, is rarer than the standard cycle. A player can also complete a cycle with more than four hits; Sam Thompson's 1894 cycle for Philadelphia included three singles, a double, a triple, and a home run in seven at-bats.[1](https://www.mlb.com/news/phillies-cycle-history) In 2024, [Shohei Ohtani](https://www.edgepedia.org/shohei-ohtani) finished a triple shy of the cycle in a three-homer, two-steal game against Miami, having been thrown out at third while trying to stretch his second double.[13](https://apnews.com/article/f8141d695112175fc2b695a0e9e748d9)
## References
1. [Phillies cycle history, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/news/phillies-cycle-history)
2. [Hitting for the cycle, Baseball Wiki](https://baseball.fandom.com/wiki/Hitting_for_the_cycle)
3. [Jimmie Foxx hits for the cycle and drives in a then-AL record nine runs, Baseball Hall of Fame](https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/jimmie-foxx-hits-for-cycle)
4. [The Pitcher's Cycle: Definition and Achievers (1893–2023), SABR Baseball Research Journal](https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-pitchers-cycle-definition-and-achievers-1893-2023/)
5. [Origin of the Phrase 'Hitting for the Cycle' and An Approach to How Cycles Occur, SABR Baseball Research Journal](https://sabr.org/journal/article/origin-of-the-phrase-hitting-for-the-cycle-and-an-approach-to-how-cycles-occur/)
6. [Most times hitting for the cycle, Guinness World Records](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/411589-most-times-hitting-for-the-cycle)
7. [Cycle, BR Bullpen, Baseball-Reference](https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Cycle)
8. [Every MLB team's most recent cycle, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/news/every-mlb-team-s-most-recent-cycle)
9. [Players Who Hit For the Cycle, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/players-who-hit-for-the-cycle-c265552018.html)
10. [Hitting for the Cycle, Joseph G. Donner, 1981 Baseball Research Journal, SABR](https://sabr.org/journal/article/hitting-for-the-cycle/)
11. [Desperately Seeking Singles: The Palpable Heartache of Near-Miss Cycles, SABR Baseball Research Journal](https://sabr.org/journal/article/desperately-seeking-singles-the-palpable-heartache-of-near-miss-cycles/)
12. [Players who hit for multiple cycles in their careers, MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/news/players-who-hit-for-multiple-cycles-c295035814)
13. [Shohei Ohtani surpasses 50-50 milestone, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/f8141d695112175fc2b695a0e9e748d9)
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