White Sox: The six players who have hit for the cycle
The cycle is an MLB feat that is rarely accomplished, especially by batters who play for the Chicago White Sox.
Even though no White Sox hit for the cycle in 2018, three players achieved this notable feat and one of them did it twice.
As the season ended with Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies hitting for the cycle and Christian Yelich hitting two of them against the same team (a new MLB record, by the way), it’s worth taking the time to look back at the White Sox players who also accomplished this massive achievement.
Even though the White Sox is one of the oldest franchises in the MLB, it has one of the lowest numbers of players who have hit for the cycle. According to the MLB.com post about players who hit for the cycle, only six men have earned four hits in one game, a single, double, triple, and a home run. Both the Royals and D-Backs also have six cycles. The Mariners only have four and the Blue Jays, Padres, and Rays have only two players. No Marlins have accomplished this feat, yet.
The last White Sox player to hit for the cycle was Jose Abreu in 2016. Most of the teams have had players hit for the cycle in the 2000s, and the Reds have the longest drought with the last cycle being hit by Eric Davis in 1989. The Royals aren’t far behind the Reds, as that team last saw a cycle in 1990 when George Brett hit one.
Jose Abreu hit his cycle against the Giants on Sept. 9, 2017, at home. In that game, the Sox beat the Giants 13-1. Abreu went four for five and had three RBI. In total, six Sox hit dingers off of the Giants that day: Tim Anderson, Carlos Sanchez, Avisail Garcia, Yoan Moncada, and Nicky Delmonico.
In 2017, Abreu had one of his best seasons. He hit .304/.354/.552 and led the AL in total bases with 343. Abreu hit 33 home runs and 102 RBI. He had 43 doubles, which was the most he has ever had. On September 9, Abreu began the game with a home run on a 1-1 count with two outs in the first inning. He hit his double in the third inning on a 2-1 count with two outs.
In the fifth inning, he struck out – at this point, the cycle was not even a consideration. In the seventh, he hit a single after teammate Yoan Moncada hit a two-run home run. Four runs scored in the seventh, which gave Abreu another at-bat in the eighth inning which is where he hit his triple on a 0-2 count. He also managed to earn a pair of runs off that triple, too.
At the end of the 2017 season, Abreu quietly earned enough votes to finish 14th in the MVP vote. Sadly, he did not get an invitation to the All-Star Game, despite having an all-star quality season.
In the year of the home run, seven players hit for the cycle: Cody Bellinger with the Dodgers, Trea Turner with the Nationals, Wil Myers with the Padres, Carlos Gomez with the Rangers, Evan Longoria with the Rays, and Nolan Arenado with the Rockies.
Jose Valentin hit his cycle on April 27, 2000, against the Baltimore Orioles. Like Abreu, this Jose also accomplished the feat at home and the Sox defeated the Orioles by a score of 13-4. I’m detecting a subtle pattern here. Valentin batted second that day and went four for five with five RBI.
Valentin spent five seasons with the Sox. During his five seasons, he hit .247/.319/.483, but his best season was in 2000 when he hit .273/.343/.491. In 2000, Valentin hit 25 home runs, 92 RBI, 6 triples, and 37 doubles. He never was invited to an All-Star Game and the only award recognition he received was in 1994 when he finished 9th in the Rookie of the Year vote.
On April 27, 2000, Valentin batted in the two hole and he played shortstop. The lead-off batter that day was Ray Durham and Frank Thomas batted third. Valentin’s first at-bat in the bottom of the first was a bunt single that moved Durham third after his lead-off double. Valentin’s next at-bat was a line-drive double that resulted in an RBI when Greg Norton crossed home plate.
The Sox batted around in the third inning and Valentin added a triple to his list of hits. While cycles are rare, the single-double-triple-home-run cycle is even rarer. On his triple, he cleared the bases, earning three more RBI to his total on the day. The Sox quieted down in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Then, in the seventh, Valentin made his way into the history books with a home run off of Mike Trombley.
In 2000, five players hit the cycle: Eric Chavez with the Athletics, Luis Gonzalez with the D-backs, Jason Kendall with the Pirates, and Mike Lansing with the Rockies.
Chris Singleton‘s cycle came in an extra-inning game against the Royals on July 6, 1999. In this one, the Royals won 8-7 at the stadium that was called Comiskey Park II (which was also what the park was named when Valentin hit for his cycle, too). Singleton went five for six and had four RBI on the day. He ended up with 11 bases with the majority coming at the expense of Jeff Suppan.
Singleton batted second, between Ray Durham and Frank Thomas – just like Valentin did in 2000. He played center field. In his first at-bat in the bottom of the first, he hit a single to center field. In the bottom of the fourth, he hit his triple – the most difficult hit to get. With the triple to center field, he earned an RBI off of Durham, who had been hit by a pitch. In the bottom of the fifth, he hit a double to left field and earned two more RBI from Durham and Mike Caruso. It wasn’t until the seventh that he hit the home run to earn the cycle. He hit the home run on a 0-1 pitch with two outs.
Remember that 1999 was in the thick of the steroid-era, but only three players hit the cycle that year. Singleton was joined in the stat books by Todd Helton of the Colorado Rockies and Jeff Kent of the San Francisco Giants.
Carlton Fisk hit for the cycle on May 16, 1984. This game, like Singleton’s, was also a one-run loss to the Royals. This time, the game was at Comiskey Park. Fisk went four for five and had two RBI. He hit off of all three of the Royals pitchers that day.
Fisk, loving known as Pudge, played for two teams in his 24-year career. He wore red socks in his first 11 seasons, then wore white ones for the final 13. He was an 11-time All-Star and is enshrined in the Hall of Fame – but, he’s wearing a Boston hat on his plaque. At the time of his cycle, Fisk was batting .198/.265/.386. As expected, Pudge was catching that day. He also batted second.
His first at-bat resulted in a double. In the second, he hit a single that scored Vance Law. He hit a solo home run in fourth. At this point, the cycle was realistic, but Pudge was never known for his speed – so a triple did not seem likely. But, he did it in the bottom of the seventh as the lead-off batter. Unfortunately, no one could get him home.
In 1984, three other batters hit for the cycle: Cal Ripken of the Orioles, Willie McGee of the Cardinals, and Dwight Evans of the Red Sox.
We jump way back to September 24, 1977 for Jack Brohamer‘s cycle. In this game, the Sox defeated the Mariners in Seattle by a score of 8-3. Brohamer batted seventh and went five for five with four RBI. Only two other batters hit cycles in 1977: Bob Watson of the Astros and John Mayberry of the Royals.
He started the cycle in style with a big three-run homer in the first. By the time the first inning was over, the Sox had five on the board. Brohammer’s next hit came in the third when he hit a double to center field. He followed that up with another double to right field. He scored a run when Bill Nahorodny hit a sac fly. Then, Brohammer earned another RBI after a single in sixth. All that was left was that dreaded triple, which he got as the lead-off batter in the ninth. Nahorodny knocked him in again on a single.
Brohammer spent two seasons with the White Sox, 1976 and 1977. In those two seasons, he hit .253/.337/.370 with nine home runs, five triples, and 22 doubles. During those seasons, he moved between second base and third base.
It was 55 years between the first and the second cycles in White Sox history. The first one was hit by Ray Schalk on June 27, 1922. Like Fisk, Schalk was a catcher for the Sox. And, like Fisk, Schalk hit for the cycle in an away game – against the Detroit Tigers at Navin Field. The final score was 9-5 in favor of the Sox. Schalk batted eighth and four for four with two RBI.
There weren’t many cycles hit before the 1920s – not even Babe Ruth hit one, but his nemesis Lou Gehrig actually hit two of them in the 1930s.
Schalk spent his entire career, with the exception of his 18th season, with the White Sox. In that final year, he played for the New York Giants. In those 18 years of baseball, Schalk hit a total of 11 home runs – which makes it even more amazing that he hit for a cycle. Schalk is in the Hall of Fame and he was on the Sox 1917 World Series team. Back in August, our own Matt Cizek wrote a feature about Schalk and his ethical decision making.
Schalk wasn’t the only player to hit for a cycle in 1922. Three other batters did it, including Jimmy Johnston with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Ross Youngs with the New York Giants, and Bob Meusel with the New York Yankees.
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Hitting for the cycle is a feat that continues to defy the odds. Getting four hits in one game is a rarity, but four different types of hits is even more unlikely. Yes, there are other feats that are impressive – like no-hitters, but the cycle not only is rare, but it is also incredibly exciting. Hopefully, White Sox batters will hit a few in the upcoming season.