In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits 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 rare in Major League Baseball (MLB), having occurred fewer than 400 times since 1882. The most recent cycle in Major League Baseball was accomplished by JJ Bleday of the Cincinnati Reds on August 22, 2026.
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 about 0.0059%; 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. The Cincinnati Reds are the most recent team to have a player hit for a cycle, with JJ Bleday doing so on August 22nd, 2026. The Kansas City Royals hold the longest active cycle drought; the feat was last achieved by George Brett on July 25, 1990 ().
In other baseball leagues, the cycle is achieved less frequently. Through June 2022, there have been 76 cycles hit in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), the top-level baseball organization in Japan, most recently by Yasutaka Shiomi on September 18, 2021. One NPB player, Atsuya Furuta, has 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.
Components Single Under Major League Baseball Rule 6.09(a), the "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 (Rose, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Cap Anson, and Keeler) in MLB history have hit for the cycle; of those five, only Rose had more than 150 home runs, and two (Collins and Keeler), 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 (725 doubles; third all-time) completed the cycle on July 24, 1949; and Craig Biggio (668; fifth all-time) 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 the "hardest part of a cycle" to complete. Triples are often hit to the same areas as doubles, but may require impressive speed by the runner. 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 [slowest] guy in baseball" earlier that season. The MLB all-time leader in triples is Sam Crawford, with 309; he never hit for the cycle. Of the top five players in MLB history in triples, two have hit for the cycle: Honus Wagner in 1912 and Roger Connor in 1890. Chief Wilson hit for the cycle in 1910, two years before he hit for a record 36 triples in a single season.
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. Among the MLB leaders in career home runs, the highest-ranking player with a cycle is Alex Rodriguez (fifth all-time; retired in 2016 with 696 home runs), 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.
Players who have hit for the cycle Major League Baseball
Multiple cycles
The most career cycles hit by an MLB player is three, accomplished by six players: + MLB players with three cycles in their career Years Player Team League Ref. 1883 1883 John Reilly Cincinnati Red Stockings American Association 1890 Cincinnati Reds National League 1921 1922 1928 Bob Meusel New York Yankees American League 1931 1931 Babe Herman Brooklyn Robins National League 1933 Chicago Cubs 2008 Adrián Beltré Seattle Mariners American League 2012 2015 Texas Rangers 2017 2019 2021 Trea Turner Washington Nationals National League 2018 2018 2022 Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers National League 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. All of Yelich's cycles were hit against the Cincinnati Reds; he is the only player to hit for the cycle three times against the same team.
Forty-four players have hit for the cycle at least twice. Five have hit for the cycle twice in one season: MLB players with two cycles in a season Year Player Team League Ref. 1883 John Reilly Cincinnati Reds American Association 1887 Tip O'Neill St. Louis Brown Stockings American Association 1931 Babe Herman Brooklyn Robins National League 2012 Aaron Hill Arizona Diamondbacks National League 2018 Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers National League 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, by Bobby Veach of the Detroit Tigers and George Burns of the New York Giants; and on September 1, 2008, by the Arizona Diamondbacks' Stephen Drew and the Seattle Mariners' Adrián Beltré. 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 (single, double, triple, home run), has been accomplished 15 times in MLB history:
+ MLB players who have hit natural cycles Year Player Team League Ref. 1883 Lon Knight Philadelphia Athletics American Association 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 (home run, triple, double, single)—also known as an "unnatural" cycle—eleven times:
+ MLB players who have hit reverse cycles Year Player Team League Ref. 1885 Henry Larkin Philadelphia Athletics American Association 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 2026Pete Crow-ArmstrongChicago CubsNational League
Other accomplishments
Nine players have hit a grand slam as part of their cycle: + MLB players hitting a grand slam in 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
Six players have had a walk-off home run as the final hit of their cycles: + MLB players hitting a walk-off home run to complete their cycle 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
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. + MLB players with six hits in their cycle game 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 (Yelich collected his six hits in the first nine innings of a 10-inning game.)
Kinsler's six-hit cycle came on Jackie Robinson Day, honoring the African-American pioneer who had hit for the cycle in 1948.
The most recent player to hit for the cycle with an inside-the-park home run was Leon Culberson in 1943.