Six players have hit for the cycle three times each, more than any other MLB players. Those four men are: John Reilly, Bob Meusel, Babe Herman, Adrian Beltre, Trea Turner, and Christian Yelich.
Here are the details about each player’s three cycles:
John Reilly – 1883 (twice), 1890
Reilly was a first baseman and outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds (National League) and the Cincinnati Red Stockings (American Association) in the early days of professional baseball, with a career spanning 1880 through 1891.
Reilly hit for the cycle on three occasions:
Date | Team | Opponent | Result |
September 18, 1883 | Cincinnati Red Stockings | ||
September 18, 1883 | Cincinnati Red Stockings | ||
August 6, 1890 | Cincinnati Reds |
Bob Meusel – 1921, 1922, 1928
Meusel was an outfielder and third baseman for those great New York Yankees teams of the 1920s. And, though he wasn’t as legendary as teammates like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, Meusel did lead the American League in home runs (33) and RBI in 1925 (134).
He also hit for the cycle three times during his 11-year career, all spent with the Bombers …
Date | Team | Opponent | Result |
May 7, 1921 | New York Yankees (A) | Washington Senators (H) | 6-5 (W) |
July 3, 1922 | New York Yankees (A) | Philadelphia Athletics (H) | 12-1 (W) |
July 26, 1928 | New York Yankees (A) | Detroit Tigers (H) | 12-1 (W) |
Babe Herman – 1931 (twice), 1933
Herman starred as a rightfielder and first baseman for 13 seasons, all but one (1937) spent in the National Leagues. During his career, Herman played for the Brooklyn Robins, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, and Brooklyn Dodgers.
Like the others on this list, Herman hit for the cycle three times:
Date | Team | Opponent | Result |
May 18, 1931 | Brooklyn Robins (H) | Cincinnati Reds (A) | 14-4 (W) |
July 24, 1931 | Brooklyn Robins (A) | Pittsburgh Pirates (H) | 8-7 (L) |
September 30, 1933 | Chicago Cubs (A) | St. Louis Cardinals (H) | 12-2 (W) |
Adrian Beltre – 2008, 2012, 2015
Beltre debuted in the Major Leagues for the Los Angeles Dodgers when he was just 19 years old, and, while it took him a few years to get his legs under him, he eventually developed into one of the greatest overall third basemen of all time.
And, ten years after he broke into the big leagues, Beltre recorded the first of his three career cycles …
Date | Team | Opponent | Result |
September 1, 2008 | Seattle Mariners (A) | Texas Rangers (H) | 12-6 (W) |
August 24, 2012 | Texas Rangers (H) | Minnesota Twins (A) | 8-0 (W) |
August 3, 2015 | Texas Rangers (H) | Houston Astros (A) | 12-9 (W) |
Trea Turner – 2017, 2019, 2021
If it’s an odd year, it seems, then you can count on Trea Turner hitting for the cycle.
One of the game’s best middle infielders since his cup-of-coffee debut for the Washington Nationals in 2015, Turner has turned the cycle trick ever odd-numbered year since then — in 2017, 2019, and 2021.
That last one came on his 28th birthday, and a month to the day before the Nats traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Date | Team | Opponent | Result |
April 25, 2017 | Washington Nationals (A) | Colorado Rockies (H) | 15-12 (W) |
July 23, 2019 | Washington Nationals (H) | Colorado Rockies (H) | 11-1 (W) |
June 30, 2021 | Washington Nationals (H) | Tampa Bay Rays (A) | 15-6(W) |
Christian Yelich – 2018 (twice), 2022
If the Cincinnati Reds didn’t exist, neither might Yelich’s place on this list. Not only did the 2018 National League MVP join the three-cycle club in 2022, he did it ALL at the expense of the division-rival Reds:
Date | Team | Opponent | Result |
August 29, 2018 | Milwaukee Brewers (H) | Cincinnati Reds (A) | 8-0 (W) |
September 17, 2018 | Milwaukee Brewers (A) | Cincinnati Reds (H) | 13-12 (W) |
May 11, 2022 | Milwaukee Brewers (A) | Cincinnati Reds (H) | 14-11 (L) |
Originally a Marlin, Yelich came to the Brewers prior to that 2018 season and made an immediate and lasting impact in Milwaukee.
Obviously, Yelich is also the most recent player who has hit for the cycle the most times — three in all!
Of the six men listed here, Meusel hit for the cycle at the youngest age, as he was still just 23 years old when he turned the trick in May of 1921. Does that make him the youngest to ever hit for the cycle? Not by a long shot!
And among the 300+ players who have hit for at least one cycle, you can find enough baseball stories to last you a lifetime.
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