Here are the 10 times in Milwaukee Brewers history that a player has hit for the cycle
Christian Yelich already was the first Milwaukee Brewers player to hit for multiple cycles in his career entering Wednesday, when he notched a single, double, triple and home run against the Cincinnati Reds, so now he's the first Brewers player with three. He's also the first in modern Major League Baseball history to record three cycles against the same franchise.
But there's a more dubious distinction too; he's the first Brewers player to record a cycle in a loss. The Reds prevailed in a wild 14-11 ballgame at Great American Ball Park, so the 10th Brewers cycle in franchise history was the first in defeat.
These are the instances of Brewers players hitting for the quirky achievement.
Christian Yelich (May 11, 2022 at Cincinnati)
Position: DH (batting third)
Final line: 4 for 5, two runs, three RBI
Score: 14-11 loss
Order: Double in first, homer in third, single in fifth, triple in ninth
Yelich's three-bagger was part of a crazy ninth-inning rally that scored six runs but fell short of the last three as the Reds held on to hand the Brewers their fourth loss in five games. Yelich's three-run homer accounted for the first Milwaukee runs of the game, but by then the Reds already were ahead, 7-0.
Christian Yelich (Sept. 17, 2018 vs. Cincinnati)
Position: LF (batting second)
Final line: 4 for 4, run, four RBI
Score: 8-0 win
Order: Single in first, double in third, homer in fifth, triple in sixth
His two-run homer gave the Brewers a 4-0 lead, and his two-run triple off Jesús Reyes made it 6-0. The achievement was remarkable in that it was his second cycle in three weeks and second against the Reds that year, and it also came within the context of a furious September finish that garnered the Brewers the National League Central title. Milwaukee won two of three against the Reds in that series and finished the season with 10 wins in 11 contests (20-7 overall once the calendar turned to September). It was also one of the more prominent late-season data points as Yelich built his case as the NL most valuable player.
Christian Yelich (Aug. 29, 2018 at Cincinnati)
Position: RF and LF (batting second)
Final line: 6 for 6, two runs, three RBI
Score: 13-12 win
Order: Single in first, (single in third), home run in fifth, double in sixth, triple in seventh, (single in ninth)
Part 3 pic.twitter.com/8MAnPOjKbI
— Christian Yelich (@ChristianYelich) May 11, 2022
Every ounce of this cycle was necessary, since the Brewers had to win this ridiculous contest in extras. Yelich's triple tied the game at 10, and the Brewers grabbed an 11-10 lead in the eighth but gave it back in the bottom half, then scored two runs in the 10th to reclaim a 13-11 advantage. It's the only instance in which a Brewers player hitting for the cycle added extra hits on top of the four required. Only four other Brewers players (Ryan Braun, Jean Segura, Kevin Reimer, John Briggs) have collected six hits in a game.
George Kottaras (Sept. 3, 2011 at Houston)
Position: C (batting seventh)
Final line: 4 for 5, two runs, two RBI
Score: 8-2 win
Order: Home run in fourth, triple in sixth, single in seventh, double in ninth
The backup catcher Kottaras normally only played during Randy Wolf starts, but this was an exception when Brewers manager Ron Roenicke tried to stack his lineup with lefties against Houston's Bud Norris. When he hit a drive to center off "Tal's Hill" at Minute Maid Park and it bounded over the wall, he had an unlikely cycle. After Kottaras hit a shocking triple in the sixth (his only of the season and one of three in his career), Craig Counsell — now the Brewers manager and never known for his power as a player — homered one batter later. Counsell hadn't homered in nearly a full year, and it was the final home run of his career.
Jody Gerut (May 8, 2010 at Arizona)
Position: RF and CF (batting sixth)
Final line: 4 for 6, three runs, four RBI
Score: 17-3 win
Order: Home run in second, single in third, triple in fifth, double in ninth
Gerut had three chances to get the double to complete the cycle in the blowout win, but he made outs twice before getting one last crack with two outs in the ninth, an inning in which three Brewers hitters had to reach base in front of him to grant the opportunity. His two-run double added two more runs in the laugher and landed Gerut in the history books, even though he made only 74 plate appearances that year for the Brewers and batted .197. He was in Milwaukee only for part of the 2009 and 2010 seasons, and he only started that day because manager Ken Macha said he flipped a coin to determine if Gerut or Corey Hart should start.
Chad Moeller (April 27, 2004 vs. Cincinnati)
Position: C (batting eighth)
Final line: 4 for 5, run, four RBI
Score: 9-8 win
Order: Home run in second, double in fourth, triple in fifth, single in seventh
It's arguable that Moeller is the least likely cyclist in Brewers history. Moeller played over 11 seasons of Major League Baseball and registered just seven triples and 29 homers, but the stars aligned on this day in a back-and-forth game. It was remarkably the first cycle for a Milwaukee major-leaguer at home (even dating to the Milwaukee Braves). The double happened because Ken Griffey Jr. couldn't quite make a sliding snare, and the triple came with the bases loaded over leaping outfielder Wily Mo Peña. Moeller also was part of Milwaukee's walk-off win in another capacity, when he should have made the last out. But Brandon Dixon's throwing error — the fifth Reds error of the game — opened the door for Bill Hall to crush a game-winning, two-run home run. Hall would deliver a walk-off squeeze bunt the next night in the 10th inning to cap a rally from a 9-0 deficit to win, 10-9.
Paul Molitor (May 15, 1991 at Minnesota)
Position: DH (batting first)
Final line: 4 for 5, two runs, RBI
Score: 4-2 win
Order: Triple in first, single in third, double in fifth, home run in seventh
It was an economical cycle in a low-scoring game, but Molitor was unsurprisingly in the middle of everything, tripling on the game's first pitch and scoring the first run, driving the second run into scoring position and then driving in the last one with a solo home run, all against Kevin Tapani. Molitor, whose hitting feats also include an inside-the-park home run in the league championship series and an unforgettable 39-game hitting streak in 1987, helped snap Milwaukee's eight-game losing streak.
Robin Yount (June 12, 1988 at Chicago White Sox)
Position: DH (batting third)
Final line: 4 for 4, four runs, two RBI, walk
Score: 16-2 win
Order: Single in first, home run in third, double in sixth, triple in eighth
The Brewers were well on their way to winning when Yount put the cherry on top. Even when he wasn't hitting, he drew a walk in the middle of a six-run fifth inning, one of four innings in which the Brewers scored at least three runs. His four runs scored tied a team record, and Paul Molitor was missing only a home run for a cycle of his own.
Charlie Moore (Oct. 1, 1980 at California)
Position: C (batting ninth)
Final line: 4 for 5, three runs, three RBI
Score: 10-7 win
Order: Single in second, home run in fourth, triple in sixth, double in eighth
Moore broke ties with both his homer and triple, then added an insurance run to give the Brewers an 8-5 lead in the eighth with the double. Milwaukee tacked on two more to put the game mostly out of reach, although the Angels brought the tying run to the plate three times in the ninth. Moore also added two stolen bases. Ben Oglivie also hit his 40th home run of the season to stay ahead of Reggie Jackson for the league lead.
Mike Hegan (Sept. 3, 1976 at Detroit)
Position: LF and 1B (batting fifth)
Final line: 4 for 5, two runs, six RBI, walk
Score: 11-2 win
Order: Double in first, home run in third, triple in fourth, single in sixth
Hegan already had six RBI through his first three at-bats, with a two-run double and bases-clearing triple among the blows; it's still the most RBI any Brewers player has had in hitting for the cycle. "It was more so (exciting) after I asked Henry (Aaron) if he had ever done it, and he said no," Hegan said. "So that gives me something on him." Hegan's father, Jim, was a coach with the Tigers organization and was seated in the stands. It was also the game where Jim Gantner got his first major-league hit. Hegan, who later became the Brewers' TV color commentator for 12 seasons, was in his second go-round with the club as a player.
JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Christian Yelich, other Milwaukee Brewers players to hit for the cycle
