There’s something special about hitting for the cycle. A player can hit two or even three home runs in a game, but it doesn’t get the headlines quite like hitting a single, double, triple and home run. Trea Turner knows that better than most.
The Nationals shortstop hit for the cycle for the second time in his young career on Tuesday night, becoming just the 26th player to accomplish the trick twice. Both times were against the Rockies, making Turner just the third player to cycle twice against the same team.
🚨 TREA TURNER CYCLE ALERT 🚨#CYCLEWATCH // #OnePursuit pic.twitter.com/ZfsaskcQSW
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 24, 2019
A second chance at a second cycle
Last month in Chicago, Turner had completed the three hardest parts of hitting for the cycle but couldn’t get a single in either of his final two at-bats against the White Sox.
Turner started Tuesday’s game with a leadoff home run, the ninth of his career. He singled in the second and tripled to the corner in right field in his third at-bat.
At that point, Turner had four innings to collect the double. He grounded into a double play in his next at-bat but roped a 1-0 pitch into the gap in right-center field in the Nationals’ eight-run seventh inning and landed on second base with a double and the historic feat.
“I didn’t screw it up this time,” Turner said, according to MLB.com.
Trea Turner hits for the cycle for the second time in his career
Both times have come against the Rockies
(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/6iTo2DHZZw
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 24, 2019
A surging team
Turner’s rare accomplishment, which he acknowledged takes quite a bit of luck to pull off, underscores what the Nationals have been doing lately.
Washington is 11-5 this month and 29-13 since the start of June. The Nationals have taken control of the National League wild-card race and are putting pressure on the first-place Braves atop the NL East.
And for one night, they saw their shortstop join a rare group. Only Fred Clarke (1901 and 1903 against the Reds), and Christian Yelich (twice last season against the Reds) have hit for the cycle twice against the same team.
