What is a cycle in baseball? Comparing NCAA vs. MLB rules

The baseball season is in full swing as the MLB season has crossed the one-third mark and the college baseball tournament is underway. The NCAA Regionals are set to wrap up on Monday, while the NCAA Super Regionals kick off on June 7.

The College World Series begins the following week, on June 14. With the additional attention on the baseball world, take a look at what a cycle is below.

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What is a cycle in baseball?

A cycle is among the most rare feats in baseball, at any level. In both the MLB and the NCAA, it occurs when a player records a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. The hits do not have to be recorded in any particular order and a player can hit for the cycle even when a game goes into extra innings.

While baseball has been played for over 150 years at the Major League level, there have been 344 instances of a player hitting for the cycle, with 302 of them coming in the modern era, which is officially classified as since 1901. There have been just 15 'natural cycles' - when a player records the cycle in order of fewest to most total bases - in MLB history.

The most recent cycle came on Aug. 28, 2023, as Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve became the fifth player to accomplish the feat during the season, against the Boston Red Sox. The record for most cycles in a career is three, with six players - John Reilly, Bob Meusel, Babe Herman, Adrian Beltre, Trea Turner and Christian Yelich - doing so.

Turner and Yelich are active and are playing at a high level and under contract for several more seasons, giving each a chance to become the first player to hit for the cycle four times. The Pittsburgh Pirates have hit for the most cycles, 24, of any franchise, while the St. Louis Cardinals have allowed the most cycles, also 24.

Kansas State Wildcats shortstop Kaelen Culpupper became the latest college baseball player to accomplish the feat. He hit for the cycle in Wildcats' 19-4 victory over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the NCAA Regionals on Saturday.