More On Cycles? Really?
Posted: May 4th, 2009 | Filed under: Baseball | 43 Comments »
In our continuing effort to bring to you the most amazing cycles in baseball history, consider July 9, 1988. Chris Speier started that game … that’s an unusual starting point. Speier has a good career. played in three All-Star Games as a young player, but he was 38 years old in 1988, and he only started 36 games that year.
He hit one triple in 1988. He none in 1987. He hit none in 1986. He also hit none in 1985.
He hit three home runs in 1988.
He hit nine doubles in 1988.
And on that one day, July 9, he hit for the cycle. He doubled off John Tudor in the first. He doubled against off Tudor in the second. So it was already a banner day. Then, in the fifth, he homered off of Bob Forsch. In the sixth, he singled of Forsch. So all he needed was the triple … he had not hit one in more than three years.
And then in the seventh, off a pitcher named Steve Peters, who was pitching in his last game for two months (he would be recalled in September and then never made it back to the big leagues), Spier hit a line drive triple to right field. It would be the last triple of his career.
Amazing on so many levels … and it was especially amazing because it was Speier’s SECOND cycle.
Other amazing cycle thoughts:
– In 1977, my good friend Jack Brohamer — who once played catch with me after a game — hit two home runs all year. One was on September 24th, and in came in the first inning against Seattle’s Greg Erardi. Brohamer followed with a double, another double, a single and finally, in the ninth, the critical triple off Bob Galasso.
– In that same year, John Mayberry hit one triple all year. He hit it at just the right time, fourth inning on August 5 against Chicago’s Bart Johnson. He had already hit a homer and a single, so he only needed a double for the cycle. He got it in the bottom of the eighth against Don Kirkwood.
– Rich Gedman actually hit five triples in 1985 — the last of those on September 18, fourth inning against John Cerutti. He had already hit a home run, he followed that with a single and a double to get the cycle. The interesting thing: Gedman would play parts of seven more years, in 512 more games, and he would never hit another triple.
– Johnny Callison hit for the cycle in 1963 … and he’s one of the most likely cycle candidates ever. This shocked me but he’s one of only three players since World War II to hit more 15 triples and 30 home runs in the same year. And the next year he led the league in doubles. So he was a good bet to get one, and he did.
Perhaps the most likely cycle candidate to not get one is one of this blog’s favorite topics, Jim Rice. He led the league in homers three times, in triples once and he had more than two hundred hits four times.
Rice had five games where he hit a single, triple and homer but lacked the double.
Rice had 17 games where he had a single, double and homer but lacked the triple. He even had one Billy Cycle in 1976: Single, double, two homers.
Rice had three games where had a single, double and triple but no home run.
And finally, Rice had one game in 1979 where he had a double, triple and homer but no single.* So he fell just short of the cycle 26 times. I don’t know if that’s a record, but it’s impressive.
*This achievement — double, triple, homer but no single — should be known as the Trillo Cycle. Three times in Manny Trillo’s career he pulled off the feat. And he never hit for the cycle … that just seems almost cruel.
Trillo Cycle Leaders (since 1954)
Manny Trillo, 3 (0 career cycles)
Frank Robinson, 3 (1 cycle)
Gregg Jefferies, 3 (1 cycle)
Brian Giles, 3 (0 cycles)
Ellis Burks, 3 (0 cycles)
Hank Aaron, 3 (0 cycles)\
Twenty players have done it twice including Mike Schmidt, George Brett and Johnny Callison.
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I wish that someone would tell me what players think of hitting for the cycle. For instance, if given the choice, would they pick the cycle or four home runs? How about three home runs? I get the sense that Buck O’Neill would have picked the cycle. But I don’t understand why. And that’s when I turn to you, Poz.
I wonder how many of these cycles, especially the first few you reference, happened specifically because they needed a triple for the cycle? I.e. in the case of Speier’s cycle, would he have stopped at second on that 7th-inning hit if he was 0-4 going into that AB, or it was a close game? The Brohamer case applies here as well. Are they stretching what would normally be a double into a triple b/c that’s the last leg of a cycle?
That was my first reaction upon reading this post…
just want a time-stamped prediction that Greinke no-hits the Chisox tonight.
Last year Carlos Gomez hit for the cycle with an inside the park homerun. I’m guessing he’s not the first, but it has to be rare — the Gomez Cycle?
It was not an inside the park homerun. He simply ran around the bases for his “trot”. Even have a quote saved from him about it:
Asked him about that lightning fast home run trot, and he said, “The game today started too late. I say, ‘Let me run the bases quick so the game goes fast.’”
A few years ago I was bored enough to crunch some numbers and figure out that Tim Foli had, statistically speaking, the unlikely cycle of all time. He had 6,573 plate appearances and hit only 20 triples and 25 homers, but he still hit for the cycle on 4/22/76, while a member of the Expos.
The craziest near “cycle” I’ve ever seen was four years ago. Against the Angels, Alex Rodriguez had a two-run homer, three-run homer and a grand slam. But no solo shot. The “home run cycle” had he done it, would have to rank as the greatest single-game achievements in baseball history.
The box score, if you want to read along…
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA200504260.shtml
Glenn B,
If the home run cycle would have counted as an all-time great achievement, it’s no wonder A-Rod didn’t do it. He hit the salami, the three-run shot and the two-run shot, but when it came time to come up with a solo blast, he choked. That guy can never hit solo home runs in blowout games when he needs to.
Hey Damo … not a no-hitter, but Greinke was pretty damn good again tonight.
I worry that God will find out that Greinke has borrowed his arm.
Host, I think it’s fair to assume that NOBODY would pick hitting fot the cycle over hitting four homeruns.
Hmm. Jeffries hit for the cycle three times?? That kid was brought up to the wrong clubhouse at the wrong time.
Goes to show when one is having their day…
Jim Rice led the AL in triples one year? Simply amazing stuff!
Rice hit 15 triples in both 1977 and 1978. For a player often accused of not hustling, that is impressive. Career triples for Mark McGwire: 6.
Baseball is usually a game of bad luck. you’re only successful .300 percent of the time and all that. that’s why i’m amazed when these (especially average) ballplayers have days when the simply can not fail like chris speier. i remember robert person hit a grand slam (and another home run?) and threw a complete game.
*also just because i dont know who else to tell, did you know the phillies have as many grand slams as errors. its may 5th.
I watched a game once where the great Bob Horner hit four home runs. The Braves still lost that game. Man, the Braves sucked back then.
I wonder…has anyone hit for the cycle in a game in which they did not start? You know…maybe someone got hurt. Or as a late inning defensive sub in a game that ended up going 18 innings or something.
The rule should be changed so that you don’t get robbed out of the cycle by hitting too many triples or doubles…in other words the cycle should be defined as
1. get at least 4 hits
2. at least one must be a homer and one must be a triple
3. at least one of the other two must be a double or triple…
i.e. you don’t get robbed of the cycle for taking an extra base
homer, three triples = cycle.
homer, triple, two double = cycle.
Joe, You should probably start doing Greinke logs, because he is flat out amazing. He’s carrying two of my fantasy teams right now.
I think that the double, triple, and homer combo should be known as the try-cycle or (tri-cycle). Works in a few ways, because it was a nice “try,” and you hit the most difficult component in the “tri”ple… not to mention that it involves three hits.
Bobby – The only tricycles we need in our lives are the ones we rode as very young kids before we grauated to bicycles.
Sorry, my bad…”graduated”
I remember one game Neifi popped up to catcher, third, and first. I hollered at him that he could pop-up for the cycle if he could only aim one at the second baseman.
Since a player with a double, a triple, and a homer got only three of the requisite four types of hit, couldn’t we call it a Trillo trio?
I kinda like the RBI cycle that Garrett Anderson pulled off last year (or was it ‘07?). Grand slam, 3 RBI hit, 2 RBI hit and 1 RBI hit. I think Ryan Howard once had the K cycle, striking out with the bases loaded, with with two on, with one on and with the bases empty.
In non-cycle related news, I just got an e-mail from Amazon entitled: Amazon.com recommends “The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series-The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds” and more.
I guess I won’t have a choice; I have to buy it once Amazon recommends it!
I read the book Umpire Strikes Back by Ron Luciano and he told a story about Lou Pinella RUNNING for the cycle. He was thrown out at all four bases in one game.
Another unlikely cycle: saw Larry Walker (I’m pretty sure) came up in the 9th (maybe extras) of a tie game, bases loaded, needing a double for the cycle. His team was batting last, so given that the bases were loaded, the only way to complete the cycle is a ground rule double, which he managed to pull off.
Joe keeps on writing on how other cycle variations are more valuable. I wonder what the record for least runs produced with a cycle. You have to produce at least 1, with the home run, but all the other hits depend on someone else driving you in. You might not drive anyone in on your hits, either.
Sam Severinson –
That would have been scored as a single, and only one run would have scored. By rule, the batter is credited only with as many bases as is needed to score the run. The only exception is an out-of-the-park home run, in which all runs are scored and all bases given to the batter.
All this cycle talk reminds me of B.J. Surhoff. I don’t know if he ever hit for the cycle, but on April 21, 1991 he did something almost as special: he grounded out for the cycle. In his five trips to the plate he grounded out to short, pitcher, third, first, and second.
Interesting note about Rich Gedman. In 1985, he was 26 years old (on the edge of entering Bill James’ 28 to 32 prime of his career). He set a career high OPS+ of 126, which is damned good for a catcher. He even got a taste of MVP consideration, given that his Fenway stats were better than his OPS+ stats. And he threw out 43% of opposing base stealers, also superb. He was in a career high 144 games. He even set career highs in steals (2, without a CS) and walks (50). His homers had come down a bit, but his batting average and walks had increased to more than make up for it. And he looked like a pencil in all-star for the next many years.
The next year he regressed some offensively (OPS+ 99) while still appearing in 134 games and throwing out am amazing 50% of opposing base stealers. And then for all positive purposes his career was over. From age 28 onwards he never threw out more than 38% of opposing base stealers and never had an OPS+ (full season or partial season in a year where he played for two teams) higher than 76. His power was gone. His plate discipline was gone. His arm was a lot weaker.
I always wondered why. I mean, a guy entering his peak years, setting personal highs both offensively and defensively, and then everything fell apart so fast. Was it injuries? Was it signing his first big contract, and no longer having the monetary motivation? He went from one of my favorite players (no doubt from his -3 arm for the Exeter Terrestrials in my Strat-O-Matic league) to invisible. Was it because I gave up the S-O-M team? I doubt I’ll ever know. But it’s always a shame to see.
Re: Jim M (#27)
There’s a great story in Luciano’s book about Harmon Killebrew’s last year in the majors when he played for the Royals. According to the story, Killer banged the ball into (but not over) the fence. As he was lumbering around the bases and rounding second Luciano tells him “You still got it, Killer.” Not hearing the ump, Harmon cocks his ear “huh?” “I say you still got it, Killer” Luciano repeats.
Only by now Killebrew has slowed down enough that the ball has sailed in from the outfield and he is tagged out.
What about an assist cycle? An outfielder with 4 assists in one game. Throwing a runner out at 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and home? I think that would be an amazing feat
Assuming Christian Guzman’s HR last year was not an inside the park HR, then my internet research finds that the last time someone had a cycle with an inside the park HR was in 1940. The player’s name was Harry “The Horse” Danning of the NY Giants.
And given “Killer’s” line for the Royals in 1975, .199/.317/..375, Luciano was, as usual, full of bs.
All right, I attended that Chris Speier game in SF in 1988. I was visiting SF on vacation. Still vividly remember that triple and how Candlestick exploded.
Thanks for the reminder of the memory.
ghb5: I remember that Luciano-Killebrew story differently. Killebrew was on second and leading off and Luciano engaged him in conversation. Killebrew couldn’t hear him well so he kept turning his head back to hear better. During one such head turn he realized he’d lost focus on the infielders and said “Ron, they’re picking me off, aren’t they?” Sure enough.
Didn’t Lou Piniella once “run for the cycle”? Got thrown out at first, second, third, and home. I know I read it somewhere, but I have no idea when it was or against whom.
Okay, sorry, hadn’t read Jim M.’s comment before I wrote the Piniella anecdote. At least two of us have heard the same story.
Joe, this has nothing to do with the topic. I just thought you might want to know you are now the stuff of high school English projects. I teach 10th grade and recently had my students find an article on their own and analyze it. One student came in with your Albert Pujols story from SI. So, there you go.
Clete Thomas gets called from Triple-A today and promptly goes double, triple, single in the first four innings. So we’re obviously all thinking cycle. In the sixth, he’s coming out of his shoes with every swing and hits about a 75-foot dribbler to second.
So he comes up in the eighth and Craig Breslow walks him. It was an amazing accomplishment. Thomas was going to try to kill any pitch within a foot of the strike zone, and Breslow still managed to walk him.
Has anybody ever stolen for the cycle? Reached first on a wild pitch, then stolen second, third and home?
Dave – heh, pretty good ML debut for Clete. AJ Pierzysnki also fell a homer short last night – 2 singles, double, triple, and a walk in six trips.
It may not be the absolute best a hitter can do, but it’s odd and difficult and requires a little luck; no wonder they’re so fascinating.
First off, this is all fascinating stuff and I love all the suggestions for other types of cycles.
What I’m wondering is, has anyone ever hit for the cycle and walked (intentional or not) and stolen a base? Don’t know what you’d call it but that seems to me to be even more of a cycle.
More cycles I’d liek to see/know if happened:
1) Steal for the cycle – Reach on WP/Dropped Strikeout, steal 2nd, 3rd and home (has someoe ever done this in one inning?)
2) Tag up fot the cycle – Reach on dropped strikeout, tag up to 2nd, 3rd, score on sac fly
3) Error cycle – get errors at four different positions in one game
4) Pitcher gives up the cycle in one inning, or in consecutive at-bats