The Cycle Plus

[tntoriole]

Gunnar’s feat yesterday got me to wondering about how that might be captured as an historic stat. 
 

Cycles are , as we all know, hitting for single, double, triple and HR in the same game.  It is a rare event .. 343 times in the 260,000 games played in baseball history. 
 

A natural cycle in which the hits go in order from single to HR is rarer still .. only 14 times in MLB history, last being Gary Matthews in 2006. 
 

So my thought was .. Gunnar was not joined with that historic group.. because he did something better. 
 

Thus I would propose a Cycle plus 1 for what Gunnar did yesterday, a Cycle plus 2 if he had hit 2 triples and a Cycle plus 3 for two homeruns 

 

I have no idea if any record is available as to how many players have done what Gunnar did but i suspect it is more rare than the cycle. 
 

Thoughts? 

Edited August 21, 2023 by tntoriole

[glenn__davis]

I have no idea how you would look up what's been done before.  I think it's an interesting concept but then when you think about it is worth it to track?  I mean is a Cycle +1 more meaningful than a 3HR game?

But I will say I respect the HECK out of Gunnar for not stopping at 1B yesterday.  Would have been a patronizing thing to do to an OAK team that had already been through enough.  Became more and more a fan of his each week.

[dystopia]

4 minutes ago, glenn__davis said:

I have no idea how you would look up what's been done before.  I think it's an interesting concept but then when you think about it is worth it to track?  I mean is a Cycle +1 more meaningful than a 3HR game?

But I will say I respect the HECK out of Gunnar for not stopping at 1B yesterday.  Would have been a patronizing thing to do to an OAK team that had already been through enough.  Became more and more a fan of his each week.

It feels like it would have diminished the cycle by stopping at 1st when he clearly could have made it to 2nd easily, just for the sake of getting the cycle. Would have felt forced and fake. Just IMO. 

[tntoriole]

3 minutes ago, glenn__davis said:

I have no idea how you would look up what's been done before.  I think it's an interesting concept but then when you think about it is worth it to track?  I mean is a Cycle +1 more meaningful than a 3HR game?

But I will say I respect the HECK out of Gunnar for not stopping at 1B yesterday.  Would have been a patronizing thing to do to an OAK team that had already been through enough.  Became more and more a fan of his each week.

A cycle is a bit contrived as a historical stat in the first place  .. A cycle is only 10 total bases versus 12 for a 3 HR game .. yet the cycle is a magical historical feat that goes in the record books and gets the attention of fans and media alike.   But if you hit a double instead of a single like Gunnar did .. then no historical accolades for his feat. 

[DirtyBird]

Sweepless Streak > Cycle

Edited August 21, 2023 by DirtyBird

[tntoriole]

3 minutes ago, dystopia said:

It feels like it would have diminished the cycle by stopping at 1st when he clearly could have made it to 2nd easily, just for the sake of getting the cycle. Would have felt forced and fake. Just IMO. 

Absolutely and Gunnar did exactly what great players do .. played the game the right way. 
 

With my system though, he would have surpassed the cycle, because he would have a cycle plus 1

[Frobby]

I suspect @DrungoHazewoodwould know how to use Stathead (a subscription service offered by BB-ref) to figure out how often a “cycle plus” has happened.  I agree, it’s probably more rare than hitting for the cycle.  But it’s not as cool.  Just better.  

[tntoriole]

25 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I suspect @DrungoHazewoodwould know how to use Stathead (a subscription service offered by BB-ref) to figure out how often a “cycle plus” has happened.  I agree, it’s probably more rare than hitting for the cycle.  But it’s not as cool.  Just better.  

I agree .. the cycle is cool.The term was first used to describe George Sisler doing it in 1921 ..SABR has  a fascinating article about the origins of the cycle as a term. 
 

“….on June 3, 1932, Tony Lazzeri of the New York Yankees hit a single, double, triple, and home run(as well as another single before the home run, and the homer was with the bases loaded) against the Philadelphia Athletics, in a 20-13 shoot-out New York win. Lazzeri’s rare feat had practically no mention  in print, as it occurred in the same game where teammate Lou Gehrig tied a record by belting four home runs.” 
 

https://sabr.org/journal/article/origin-of-the-phrase-hitting-for-the-cycle-and-an-approach-to-how-cycles-occur/

 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

1 hour ago, DirtyBird said:

Sweepless Streak > Cycle

And it's way more rare of a feat in baseball than hitting for a cycle.

[drjohnnyfever1]

1 hour ago, dystopia said:

It feels like it would have diminished the cycle by stopping at 1st when he clearly could have made it to 2nd easily, just for the sake of getting the cycle. Would have felt forced and fake. Just IMO. 

Exactly this!

[yark14]

2 hours ago, dystopia said:

It feels like it would have diminished the cycle by stopping at 1st when he clearly could have made it to 2nd easily, just for the sake of getting the cycle. Would have felt forced and fake. Just IMO. 

Ricky Davis would say otherwise: 

Side note: as a kid I watched Ricky Davis play a lot when he was in college at Iowa.

[Hallas]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

I suspect @DrungoHazewoodwould know how to use Stathead (a subscription service offered by BB-ref) to figure out how often a “cycle plus” has happened.  I agree, it’s probably more rare than hitting for the cycle.  But it’s not as cool.  Just better.  

https://sabr.org/journal/article/quasi-cycles-better-than-cycles/

 

Sabr started calling them quasi-cycles: games with at least 4 XBH including a double, triple, and HR.

[Frobby]

26 minutes ago, Hallas said:

https://sabr.org/journal/article/quasi-cycles-better-than-cycles/

 

Sabr started calling them quasi-cycles: games with at least 4 XBH including a double, triple, and HR.

So, 88 quasi-cycles through 2016, as opposed to 343 cycles.  About 4 times more rare than hitting for the cycle.  

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

1 hour ago, yark14 said:

Ricky Davis would say otherwise: 

Side note: as a kid I watched Ricky Davis play a lot when he was in college at Iowa.

lol, I posted a video of Rickey Davis' infamous attempt at getting a triple double in the game thread yesterday. 

[Aristotelian]

Super-Cycle.