Christian Yelich Joins Rare Group of 6, But Who Are Those Other Guys In His Cycle Group?

Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Christian Yelich hit for the cycle on Wednesday, and it was the 335th time that's happened in major-league history. So yes, they are rare, but not that rare.

What is totally out of the ordinary though, was that Yelich became just the sixth person ever to do it three times. And he was the first person to do it three times all against the same team — the Cincinnati Reds.

When I heard that stat, I was racking my brain to think of the six — and was completely stumped. I do remember Trea Turner doing it last year, and I got Adrian Beltre right on a wild guess. But I also guessed wrong on two others — George Brett and Freddie Freeman — because they've only done it twice.

So, I admit, I had no clue about the other three. You too? Can you name the only six players in MLB history who have hit for the cycle three times?

So here's a quick bio on all six guys that have done it, including when they did it. The current guys you know, the others, like me, I'm figuring you don't: 

• CHRISTIAN YELICH (Aug. 29, 2018; Sept. 17, 2018; May 11, 2022): Yelich is in his 10th year in the majors, and his fifth in Milwaukee. He started his career with the Miami Marlins. He was the National League MVP in 2018 and has won two batting titles (2018, 2019) and a Gold Glove (2014). All three of his cycles have come while with the Brewers. His cycle on Wednesday came in a 14-11 loss, the first of 10 cycles by a Milwaukee Brewers player that came in defeat.
• TREA TURNER (April 25, 2017, July 23, 2019; June 30, 2021): Turner is in his eighth season in the big leagues, and he spent most of his time in Washington playing for the Nationals before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. All three of his cycles were with the Nationals, twice against the Colorado Rockies and last summer against the Tampa Bay Rays.
  
• ADRIAN BELTRE (Sept. 1, 2008; Aug. 24, 2012; Aug. 3, 2015): Beltre played 21 seasons in the majors from 1998 through 2018. He's a four-time All-Star and he led the AL in homers in 2004. His first cycle came while playing for the Seattle Mariners, the last two were while playing for the Texas Rangers. Beltre is in the 3,000-hit club (3,166) and had 477 career home runs. When he got his third cycle in 2012, it was the first time in had happened in 79 years. Yeah, really.
• BABE HERMAN (May 18, 1931; July 24, 1931; Sept. 30, 1933): There's your 79-year gap. Herman hit for the cycle twice in 1931 while playing for the Brooklyn Robins, a nickname for the Dodgers' franchise from 1914 to 1931. (I didn't know that, either.) His third one, in 1933, came while playing for the Chicago Cubs. Herman had a career .324 batting average, but was know around the league as a brutal defensive player. Said a former teammate: "He wore a glove for one reason: because it was a league custom." 
• BOB MEUSEL (May 7, 1921; July 3, 1922; July 26, 1928): Meusel played for the New York Yankees. His three cycles came against the Philadelphia Athletics, Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers. He played 11 years in the majors, 10 with the Yankees from 1920-29 where he was a teammate of Babe Ruth for many years, and one final season with the Cincinnati Reds in 1930. He won three World Series titles with the Yankees, and led the AL in home runs and RBIs in 1925.
• JOHN REILLY (Sept. 12, 1883;, Sept. 19, 1883; Aug. 6, 1890): John Reilly was the first person to hit for the cycle three times. He played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1883 to 1891. He started with the Cincinnati Stars in 1880. He was born in 1858, and his father was killed during the Civil War. He is a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Hitting for the cycle isn't easy, but there's a little bit of luck involved too on occasion.

"A lot of things kind of have to happen to hit the cycle,'' Yelich said. "It is hard enough to get four hits in a major league game, and to have the right kind, there's an element of luck. It is still pretty cool.

"I'd definitely rather win the game,'' Yelich said. "Weird things happen in baseball. Anytime you can hit for a cycle, it's pretty cool. I will try to enjoy it as much as possible."