Rookie Weston Wilson hits for the cycle. What’s hitting for a cycle in baseball?

The Philadelphia Phillies are celebrating thanks to rookie Weston Wilson. The outfielder hit for the cycle in the win over the Washington Nationals. This feat was historic as it was the tenth in the organization’s history. The last one had been achieved by J.T. Realmuto in 2023.

Wilson, the ninth Phillies player with a cycle, started the game eighth in the Phillies’ order, and his only bad at-bat was his first. All nine Philadelphia players batted in the first inning, but the rookie struck out.

However, the fourth inning opened with a triple from Wilson. The right-handed hitter sent a deep fly ball to right field that hit the Citizens Bank Park wall and allowed him to reach third base. On the same roll, the 29-year-old rookie hit a single that loaded the bases.

Home run in the seventh

Wilson’s only RBI of the cycle came on a solo homer in the seventh inning. Tanner Rainey threw a 95.2 mph fastball, and the outfielder took it at 100 mph toward center field.

The eighth inning came with the pressure of hitting a double to make history, and it seemed that Wilson had done it by chance. The Philadelphia outfielder hit a line drive that Alex Call tried to catch, but the ball did not stay in his glove. Because of that, the Phillies player could reach second base without pressure.

What’s hitting for a cycle in baseball?

Hitting for the cycle is a remarkable accomplishment in Major League Baseball where a player achieves a single, double, triple, and home run in a single game.

This rare event happens in less than 1% of all games (0.149% to be exact), and to this day, no game has seen more than one batter hit for the cycle.

The term “cycle” didn’t gain widespread use until nearly five decades after its first occurrence. It was first documented in 1921 when George Sisler achieved the 70th cycle in baseball history. The phrase gained popularity during the Lively Ball Era when cycles became more common in baseball.