Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich made history on Monday night in the Brewers 8-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Miller Park. Yelich became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit for the cycle twice in one season against the same opponent. The first time Yelich hit for the cycle against the Reds was on August 30, less than three weeks ago.
History Made
Not only did Yelich become the first player to accomplish this feat- he became just the fifth player in Major League history to record two cycles in the same season. Aaron Hill was the last player to do it back in the 2012 season, but the other three occasions were nearly 100 years ago. Long John Reilly (1883), Tip O’Neill (1887), and Babe Herman (1931) are the only other players to hit for the cycle twice in one season.
On August 30, Yelich went 6-6 while recording a cycle in the Brewers dramatic 13-12 victory over the Reds. It was the first time in his career that he hit for the cycle. Last night, Yelich went 4-4 against the Reds to continue his season-long dominance over them. When asked about recording two cycles against the same team Yelich said, “It just shows how freaky, I guess, that is. A lot of luck goes into that. It’s hard enough to get four hits in a Major League Baseball game, yet alone have them all be the right ones and the right sequence.”
On Monday night Yelich singled in the first inning and doubled in the bottom of the third. He blasted a two-run homer in the fifth off of Anthony DeSclafani to move within a triple of the cycle. He came up in the bottom of the sixth with two runners on base and delivered a two-run triple off of Jesus Reyes to complete his night.
Yelich was able to get his home run ball back from a young fan who caught the blast in the fifth inning. Major League Baseball will likely request a part of his jersey or equipment to display in Cooperstown at the Hall of Fame.
The Cincinnati Reds also saw Fred Clarke hit for the cycle against them on two different occasions, but they occurred in different seasons. Clarke hit for the cycle in the 1901 and 1903 seasons.
Since the 1908 season, there have been just 25 players in Major League history who have hit for multiple cycles in their career. Bob Meusel, George Herman, and Adrian Beltre are the only three players who have accomplished the feat three times in their career. Yelich joins Beltre and Carlos Gomez as the only active players who have hit for the cycle multiple times.
MVP Yelich?
Yelich has owned the Reds this season, hitting for a .500 batting average against them. He has blasted seven home runs and driven in 17 against Cincinnati pitching. Since the All-Star break Yelich leads the National League with a .355 batting average and 20 home runs. The victory kept the Brewers 2.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.
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