As it seems to go in Major League Baseball, these rarities come in droves. Last night Los Angeles Angels rookie hurler Reid Detmers threw a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays, and then less than 24 hours later, veteran outfielder Christian Yelich goes and tops the freshman by hitting the cycle.
While the probability rate or level of difficulty of no-hitters and cycles are neck and neck, Yelich gets the nod as the more impressive feat since he tied the MLB record with the third in his career. Sorry, rook.
Adding another level of X-Files-like oddness, the number three hitter has hit all of his cycles against the Cincinnati Reds. Yelich accomplished the feat twice inside three weeks in 2018 and turned the hat trick this afternoon in front of Reds fans at Great American Ballpark.
The former National League MVP went 4-for-5 on the day and saved the most challenging hit for last as Yelich tripled in his final at-bat in the ninth inning.
Yelich joins a shortlist of Bob Meusel, Babe Herman, Adrian Beltre, and Trea Turner as the fifth player in the game’s history to turn the trick three times.
FanDuel Sportsbook has Yelich’s division-leading Brewers as the odds on favorite to win the NL Central at -280.
