Aaron Hill's Cycle Helps Lead Diamondbacks to Victory

Aaron Hill is congratulated by teammate Jason Kubel following his home
run that completed his cycle in the seventh inning. (Jennifer Stewart)

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Aaron Hill started his game off quietly with a single off Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Hector Noesi in the first inning. In the third inning, Hill returned to the plate and belted a ball to the warning track, which he turned into a triple. A few whispers from fans keeping score might have been released into the hot evening air of Chase Field. Sure enough, when Hill returned to the plate in the fifth inning, he ripped a ball down the left field line for a double. Soon, everyone was aware that Hill was only a home run away from the cycle. His opportunity came in the seventh inning. Hill got a pitch from Mariners reliever Shawn Kelly that he crushed to deep left for a no doubt about it home run.

Hill became the second MLB player to hit for a cycle so far this season. The first was when New York Met Scott Hairston did it against the Colorado Rockies on April 27. For a long time, people have compared hitting for a cycle and throwing a no-hitter as similar in difficulty. This is because there have been 294 cycles and 272 no-hitters total in MLB history. So far this season, we have had five no-hitters and just two cycles. That trend is similar to the past two seasons. Last season, there were three no-hitters and two cycles. In 2010, there were six no-hitters and four cycles. The 2009 season was the last time there was more cycles than no-hitters, when there was eight cycles and just two no-hitters.

Do you think you know all about the history of cycles in MLB? See if you can answer these trivia questions to complete a cycle of your own. The answers will be posted in the comments section of this blog post.

Single: What is the special term used for when a player hits for a single, double, triple, and home run it that exact order?
Double: Name one of the nine players to hit a grand slam as the home run of their cycle.
Triple:  Name one of the five players to hit a walk-off home run as the final hit of their cycle.
Home Run: Name one of the three players to hit for a record three cycles in their MLB careers. (You hit a grand slam if you can name all three.)