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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.

"Home run cycle"[]

While never having occurred in Major League Baseball, there have been instances in college baseball and other leagues of a home run cycle, hitting 1-run, 2-run, 3-run, and 4-run (grand slam) home runs all in the same game.

Trivia[]

  • There have been 14 natural cycles in the Major Leagues; eight in the National League and six in the American League.
  • There have been 6 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 23, 1932, Tony Lazzeri became the only player in Major League history to accomplish both feats listed above: hitting a single, a double, a triple, and ending 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.

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