Hitting for a Cycle..whats the big deal

[1952boyntoncollector]

[QUOTE=Runscott;1438302]Jake is obviously correct that it's better to hit 2 hr's a triple and a double, than to hit for the cycle - after all, baseball is a team sport. The 'cycle' is one of those strange stats that is celebrated because of it's rarity, not because of its value to the team. It's actually more rare than a no-hitter. But surely Jake knows all of this.



im sure you know that lots of things that happen are more strange and rare then the cycle.. ..3 cycles last year though its not so rare...I think there were 4 no-hitters that no one cares about..

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

im sure you know that lots of things that happen are more strange and rare then the cycle.. ..3 cycles last year though its not so rare...I think there were 4 no-hitters that no one cares about..

That's true, but we're talking about the cycle - remember, you brought it up.

Also, the guys at the sports bureau actually track stats, so cycle rarity isn't debatable.

And, my final point...I apologize to the rest of the board for entering this thread, but it had me scratching my head (which I am still doing), and I took a liking to Karl Pilkington, so why not Jake? He's very amusing and his logic is very, very interesting.

[freakhappy]

A cycle is celebrated because of its rarity, not because it's better than hitting two homers and a double in the same game, but because every at-bat has to be so specific in what happens. Most guys don't hit more than two to three triples a year...take all of those guys and on the two or three days that they hit a triple, that's when they have a shot at a cycle. All they have to do is get four hits and they have to be a homer, double and single in the other at-bats...easy enough, eh? Now take the guys that do indeed hit ten to twelve triples a year...most of them fail to hit more than five to eight homers all year! Again...it's all about the rarity of the accomplishment.

But I get what you're saying, Jake...in the grand scheme of things there are a lot of better hitting days each year than what a cycle brings.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by freakhappy

A cycle is celebrated because of its rarity, not because it's better than hitting two homers and a double in the same game, but because every at-bat has to be so specific in what happens. Most guys don't hit more than two to three triples a year...take all of those guys and on the two or three days that they hit a triple, that's when they have a shot at a cycle. All they have to do is get four hits and they have to be a homer, double and single in the other at-bats...easy enough, eh? Now take the guys that do indeed hit ten to twelve triples a year...most of them fail to hit more than five to eight homers all year! Again...it's all about the rarity of the accomplishment.

But I get what you're saying, Jake...in the grand scheme of things there are a lot of better hitting days each year than what a cycle brings.

right my point is lots of things are rare but not celebrated.....a guy can hit a homer and just stop at third for the 'triple' so he can get the cycle.......pitchers that throw a complete game or no hitter aren't purposely doing something 'less' to get that feat...they have to get everyone out that they can, ...but if you have a single, homer and double and hit a ball over the wall, you can just stay at third for the 'cycle' ..or if just a single is needed you can turn a sure double into a 'single'.....and I think we will all agree, there must one of those 'cycles' out there where the player didn't go for that extra base...so its not theory I am arguing it has to have happened especially if the cycle was a big deal...why get that extra base to help the team?


and you said it - ..there aren't a lot of better pitching days in a year when someone pitches a no-hitter......but there are a LOT of better hitting days in a year versus someone hitting for the cycle...yet the no-hotter means less and less ...so should the cycle...

[D. Bergin]

In what world is the cycle celebrated more then a no-hitter? I must have missed that trend.

It's a statistical anomaly. I think most people understand that. It's like a triple double in basketball, that players like to get because it's a bit of an accomplishment to them, though there's plenty of triple-double lines that can be completely unimpressive compared to what another player in the same game is putting up.

Difference is, in Basketball, some players have been known to manufacture a triple double from time to time, to the detriment of their team, a teammate, or the framework of the game. They generally catch a lot of flack for it. I don't know of any baseball players who hit a home run and stopped at 3rd base just so they could hit for a cycle. I imagine he would get ripped to shreds by anybody having anything to do with the game if he did (if it was even allowed).

BTW, good call on Karl Pilkington. First ran across him in the Ricky Gervais podcasts. I would watch him eat breakfast every morning just for the entertainment value alone.