How often does a Major League Baseball batter hit for the cycle, getting a single, a double, a triple and a home run in the same game, how many games go by between one cycle and the next, and why is it so hard to do? In the 2026 MLB regular season, 4 of the 2,429 games included a player hitting for the cycle, about 1 in 607 (our arithmetic).
What counts as a cycle
A batter hits for the cycle by getting a single, a double, a triple and a home run in the same game, in any order.
The four cycles of 2026
Four players hit for the cycle in the 2026 regular season: Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs on June 15, Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies on June 20, Tristan Peters of the Chicago White Sox in July, and JJ Bleday of the Cincinnati Reds on August 22, in an 11 to 5 win at Arizona. MLB.com called Bleday’s cycle “the fourth in the Majors this year”. No later cycle was reported before the regular season ended on September 27.
A steady rate, with swings
Over the six regular seasons from 2021 through 2026, MLB games produced 24 cycles in 14,577 games, also about 1 in 607 (our arithmetic). Single seasons swing around that rate: 5 cycles in both 2022 and 2023, about 1 in 486 games, and only 2 in 2025, about 1 in 1,215 (our arithmetic).
| Season | Regular season games | Cycles | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,429 | 4 | 607 |
| 2022 | 2,430 | 5 | 486 |
| 2023 | 2,430 | 5 | 486 |
| 2024 | 2,429 | 4 | 607 |
| 2025 | 2,430 | 2 | 1,215 |
| 2026 | 2,429 | 4 | 607 |
| 2021 through 2026 | 14,577 | 24 | 607 |
Games are completed regular season games in MLB’s own schedule data; a postponed game is counted once, when it was played, and cancelled games and the postseason are left out. The 2025 cycles were Carson Kelly on March 31 and Byron Buxton on July 12.
Why the triple is the hard part
The triple is the piece that usually holds a cycle back, because it needs a ball hit into a gap or off a wall and a fast run all the way to third base.
The short version
In the 2026 MLB regular season, 4 of 2,429 games included a cycle, about 1 in 607, the same rate as the six seasons from 2021 through 2026 together (our arithmetic).
Last checked: 2026-10-23, against Retrosheet’s list of players who have hit for the cycle (updated November 25, 2025), MLB.com’s 2026 cycle reports and MLB’s regular season schedule data. This article was machine-checked against the sources above and has not been expert-reviewed. Spotted an error or a newer public figure? Please tell us on our contact page with the article link and we will review it.
Sources
- S1 Retrosheet. Cycles. Page updated November 25, 2025. https://retrosheet.org/cycles.htm Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- S2 Patrick Brown. Have a day, Bleday! 8th cycle in Reds history helps snap losing streak. MLB.com, August 23, 2026. https://www.mlb.com/news/jj-bleday-hits-for-cycle Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- S3 Jared Greenspan. Every MLB team’s most recent cycle. MLB.com, August 23, 2026. https://www.mlb.com/news/every-mlb-team-s-most-recent-cycle Accessed Oct 23, 2026.
- S4 Major League Baseball. MLB Stats API regular season schedules, 2021 through 2026, one request per season. https://statsapi.mlb.com/api/v1/schedule?sportId=1&season=2026&gameType=R Accessed Oct 23, 2026.