The Cycle Plus

[Three Run Homer]

I like the SABR definition of the quasi-cycle.  Making sure that there is at least one triple is really important to making this a special event since triples are so rare to begin with.  I think what Gunnar did is cooler than if he had hit two 2B and two HR.  

[Malike]

Just a bit more rare...

Instead of a cycle, Henderson settled for the second four-hit game of his career, becoming the first big leaguer with two or more doubles, a triple and a home run in the same game since David Wright in 2013. He's also the youngest player in franchise history with four extra-base hits in a single game. Next on the list? Cal Ripken Jr.

[DrungoHazewood]

11 hours 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 was in the process of looking this up, but someone already has.  So...

Orioles who hit for a better-than-cycle:

Gunnar, obviously.
Chris Richard, 9/3/2000. Double, triple, two homers in six at bats in a 13 ining, 12-11 loss to the Indians.
Don Baylor, 4/6/1972. Two doubles, triple, homer in 4 PA in a 10-0 win over the Brewers.

[DrungoHazewood]

So, special callout to Turkey Mike Donlin, who on June 24, 1901, for the American League's Baltimore Orioles went 6-for-6 with two singles, two doubles, and two triples in a 17-8 win over the Tigers. So four extra base hits but no cycle.

If you're not familiar with Donlin, you should read his SABR bio. If he could have focused on baseball it's possible or even probable that he'd be a Hall of Famer. But he was constantly being distracted by shiny objects like acting and alcohol and women and getting himself thrown in jail. 

As it was, during his on-and-off career in the deadball era he had a .854 OPS, good for a 144 OPS+. Despite his sometimes half-hearted commitment to the game he was 36 before he had a season where his batting was below average. For the original AL O's he hit .340 with 23 doubles, 13 triples, 33 steals and almost twice as many walks as strikeouts. But because of various drunken escapades he ended up in a Baltimore jail and the O's released him.

Donlin eventually married Mabel Hite, who was a kind of vaudeville version of... I don't know, pick a name... Margot Robbie or Jennifer Lawrence or something.  He spent years jumping back and forth between the stage, silent films, and baseball. I'm pretty sure you can find a few of his old movies, or at least clips, on YouTube.

Edited August 22, 2023 by DrungoHazewood

[DrungoHazewood]

Only 14 players have ever had five extra-base hits in a game. At least since 1900. No one did it from 1900-1945. And only four players accomplished the feat from 1900-2000, Lou Boudreau, Joe Adcock, Willie Stargell, and Steve Garvey. In the 2000s 10 players have done it, or about every other year. No one in the bb-ref/retrosheet data has ever had five XBH that included a triple.

Rk               Player XBH           Date    Age  Team Opp       Result PA AB R H 1B 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO
1          Lou Boudreau   5 1946-07-14 (1) 28-362   CLE BOS      L 10-11  5  5 3 5  0  4  0  1   4  0  0  0  0
2            Joe Adcock   5     1954-07-31 26-274   MLN BRO       W 15-7  5  5 5 5  0  1  0  4   7  0  0  0  0
3       Willie Stargell   5     1970-08-01 30-148   PIT ATL      W 20-10  6  6 5 5  0  3  0  2   6  0  0  0  0
4          Steve Garvey   5     1977-08-28 28-249   LAD STL       W 11-0  5  5 5 5  0  3  0  2   5  0  0  0  0
5           Shawn Green   5     2002-05-23 29-194   LAD MIL       W 16-3  6  6 6 6  1  1  0  4   7  0  0  0  0
6        Kelly Shoppach   5     2008-07-30 28-092   CLE DET L 12-14 (13)  7  6 4 5  0  3  0  2   3  0  0  1  1
7         Josh Hamilton   5     2012-05-08 30-353   TEX BAL       W 10-3  5  5 4 5  0  1  0  4   8  0  0  0  0
8    Jackie Bradley Jr.   5     2015-08-15 25-118   BOS SEA      W 22-10  6  6 5 5  0  3  0  2   7  0  0  0  1
9           Kris Bryant   5     2016-06-27 24-175   CHC CIN       W 11-8  5  5 4 5  0  2  0  3   6  0  0  0  0
10         Jose Ramirez   5     2017-09-03 24-351   CLE DET       W 11-1  5  5 3 5  0  3  0  2   3  0  0  0  0
11       Matt Carpenter   5     2018-07-20 32-236   STL CHC       W 18-5  5  5 4 5  0  2  0  3   7  0  0  0  0
12       Alex Dickerson   5     2020-09-01 30-098   SFG COL       W 23-5  7  6 5 5  0  2  0  3   6  0  0  1  1
13           Luis Urias   5     2021-08-12 24-070   MIL CHC       W 17-4  6  6 5 5  0  3  0  2   5  0  0  0  0
14        Adolis Garcia   5     2023-04-22 30-051   TEX OAK       W 18-3  6  5 5 5  0  2  0  3   8  0  0  0  0

 

[InsideCoroner]

In a good amount of those quasi-cycles, I am guessing the hitter didn't have the opportunity to choose whether he wanted the cycle, like a guy hitting his second home run in a day. I do respect that Gunnar didn't "stumble" coming around first, even if it's also in his own (statistical) best interest not to do so.

[Tony-OH]

37 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

So, special callout to Turkey Mike Donlin, who on June 24, 1901, for the American League's Baltimore Orioles went 6-for-6 with two singles, two doubles, and two triples in a 17-8 win over the Tigers. So four extra base hits but no cycle.

If you're not familiar with Donlin, you should read his SABR bio. If he could have focused on baseball it's possible or even probable that he'd be a Hall of Famer. But he was constantly being distracted by shiny objects like acting and alcohol and women and getting himself thrown in jail. 

As it was, during his on-and-off career in the deadball era he had a .854 OPS, good for a 144 OPS+. Despite his sometimes half-hearted commitment to the game he was 36 before he had a season where his batting was below average. For the original AL O's he hit .340 with 23 doubles, 13 triples, 33 steals and almost twice as many walks as strikeouts. But because of various drunken escapades he ended up in a Baltimore jail and the O's released him.

Donlin eventually married Mabel Hite, who was a kind of vaudeville version of... I don't know, pick a name... Margot Robbie or Jennifer Lawrence or something.  He spent years jumping back and forth between the stage, silent films, and baseball. I'm pretty sure you can find a few of his old movies, or at least clips, on YouTube.

I know we're off topic here but reading his amazing bio (thank you btw) the first thing that jumped out at me was there once teams called the St. Louis Perfectos and Boston Rustlers. THAT IS AWESOME! 

How is there not a movie about this guy? 

"One day in Detroit, Baltimore pitcher Harry Howell was ejected for arguing a call and Donlin responded by firing a ball at the umpire’s back."

"Donlin batted .340 in his first season as a full-time regular, and his future seemed unlimited. But in March 1902 he went on a drinking binge in Baltimore, urinated in public, and accosted two chorus girls (No idea what accosted means but to get six months in jail for it suggests it might have been sketchy to say the least). He was sentenced to six months in prison and the Orioles released him."

"The next summer Donlin was hitting .356 when he went on another bender in St. Louis. Cincinnati player-manager Joe Kelley suspended him for 30 days and then traded him to the New York Giants"

"With his cap at a belligerent angle over one ear, a scar running down his left cheek from a knifing, and an ever-present plug of tobacco in his jaw, he looked the part of a rough, tough deadballer."

"In the spring of 1907 he demanded the same $3,300 he had been paid in 1906, plus a $600 bonus if he stayed sober all year. Owner John Brush declined — and so Donlin held out and eventually went on the vaudeville circuit with his wife, missing the entire season. “It is too bad for him to give up baseball,” Hite admitted, “yet it’s so pleasant for us to be together. We study our parts together and rehearse at home.”11 And with characteristic confidence, Donlin proclaimed: “I can act. I’ll break the hearts of all the gals in the country.”12 Critics generally disagreed. Ward Morehouse, a theater reviewer, newspaper columnist, and playwright of note, pronounced that Turkey Mike “never was the actor he thought he was or wanted to be.”

"Donlin, however, did return to the Giants for the 1908 season. Huge ovations greeted him at the home opener, with bleacherites yelling, “Oh, you Mabel’s Mike!” — a chant that emanated from the stands even when he made a routine play.14 In the ninth, the Giants were down by a run with two out and a man on second. Donlin worked the pitcher to a full count, then homered into the right-field bleachers to win the game. Thousands of fans mobbed the field, slapping him on his back as he rounded the bases, taking his cap, and ripping the buttons off his shirt — and it was the beginning of another great season for Donlin, who finished second in the NL in batting average (.334), hits (198), RBIs (106), total bases, and slugging percentage."

His wife tragically died for cancer at just 29-years old.

By 36-years old the on and off again player finally retired and became a full-time actor even starring in a story supposedly based on him called "Right Off the Bat."

In 1917, War Department appointed him to teach baseball to US soldiers in France.

In 1918 Donlin returned to California as a scout for the Boston Braves.

"And then, two years later, Drebinger reported that the “committee conducting the baseball centennial celebration to be held in 1939 at Cooperstown, N.Y., commemorating the 100th anniversary of the origin of America’s national pastime, has asked the scribes to assist in selecting the first group of names to be inscribed on tablets in the Hall of Fame.” After citing such inner-circle superstars as Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Tris Speaker and second-line talents Wee Willie Keeler, Ed Delahanty, Ross Youngs, Ed Roush, and Al Simmons, Drebinger quipped: “There are any number of others you might feel privileged to add to the general confusion.” And one of them was “… the unforgettable Mike Donlin…”

Pretty interesting read for sure.

 

 

[LA2]

18 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

I know we're off topic here but reading his amazing bio (thank you btw) the first thing that jumped out at me was there once teams called the St. Louis Perfectos and Boston Rustlers. THAT IS AWESOME! 

How is there not a movie about this guy? 

"One day in Detroit, Baltimore pitcher Harry Howell was ejected for arguing a call and Donlin responded by firing a ball at the umpire’s back."

"Donlin batted .340 in his first season as a full-time regular, and his future seemed unlimited. But in March 1902 he went on a drinking binge in Baltimore, urinated in public, and accosted two chorus girls (No idea what accosted means but to get six months in jail for it suggests it might have been sketchy to say the least). He was sentenced to six months in prison and the Orioles released him."

"The next summer Donlin was hitting .356 when he went on another bender in St. Louis. Cincinnati player-manager Joe Kelley suspended him for 30 days and then traded him to the New York Giants"

"With his cap at a belligerent angle over one ear, a scar running down his left cheek from a knifing, and an ever-present plug of tobacco in his jaw, he looked the part of a rough, tough deadballer."

"In the spring of 1907 he demanded the same $3,300 he had been paid in 1906, plus a $600 bonus if he stayed sober all year. Owner John Brush declined — and so Donlin held out and eventually went on the vaudeville circuit with his wife, missing the entire season. “It is too bad for him to give up baseball,” Hite admitted, “yet it’s so pleasant for us to be together. We study our parts together and rehearse at home.”11 And with characteristic confidence, Donlin proclaimed: “I can act. I’ll break the hearts of all the gals in the country.”12 Critics generally disagreed. Ward Morehouse, a theater reviewer, newspaper columnist, and playwright of note, pronounced that Turkey Mike “never was the actor he thought he was or wanted to be.”

"Donlin, however, did return to the Giants for the 1908 season. Huge ovations greeted him at the home opener, with bleacherites yelling, “Oh, you Mabel’s Mike!” — a chant that emanated from the stands even when he made a routine play.14 In the ninth, the Giants were down by a run with two out and a man on second. Donlin worked the pitcher to a full count, then homered into the right-field bleachers to win the game. Thousands of fans mobbed the field, slapping him on his back as he rounded the bases, taking his cap, and ripping the buttons off his shirt — and it was the beginning of another great season for Donlin, who finished second in the NL in batting average (.334), hits (198), RBIs (106), total bases, and slugging percentage."

His wife tragically died for cancer at just 29-years old.

By 36-years old the on and off again player finally retired and became a full-time actor even starring in a story supposedly based on him called "Right Off the Bat."

In 1917, War Department appointed him to teach baseball to US soldiers in France.

In 1918 Donlin returned to California as a scout for the Boston Braves.

"And then, two years later, Drebinger reported that the “committee conducting the baseball centennial celebration to be held in 1939 at Cooperstown, N.Y., commemorating the 100th anniversary of the origin of America’s national pastime, has asked the scribes to assist in selecting the first group of names to be inscribed on tablets in the Hall of Fame.” After citing such inner-circle superstars as Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Tris Speaker and second-line talents Wee Willie Keeler, Ed Delahanty, Ross Youngs, Ed Roush, and Al Simmons, Drebinger quipped: “There are any number of others you might feel privileged to add to the general confusion.” And one of them was “… the unforgettable Mike Donlin…”

Pretty interesting read for sure.

 

 

There's a jolly photo of Donlin and his wife the actress Mabel Hite halfway down the page at:

https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/old-news-in-baseball-6-288278a7c33e

[bluedog]

There have been lots of cycles (and also Cycles + or whatever you want to call them) in major league history, but I can never remember a player passing up on a cycle before like Gunnar did by refusing to stop at 1st base for the needed single.

That's the kind of unique event that people will tell stories about and that becomes part of a player's legend.

I wonder how many other players have duplicated that feat? It has to be a very small list.

Edited August 22, 2023 by bluedog

[tntoriole]

14 hours ago, Frobby said:

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

I like cycle plus as a term compared to quasi which implies inferior or ersatz

[Morgan423]

I've wanted to nominate the name to be the MOTORCYCLE.

Because you reach the base you'd have to stop at to officially achieve the cycle... and then you MOTOR right through it, because winning is more important than an arbitrary achievement. 

[tntoriole]

Verrry interesting responses!!! Hopefully we will see more cycles, quasi cycles , cycles plus, motorcycles etc