With interim Commissioner Bud Selig calling an end to the 1994 season on September 14 because of the players strike, the baseball offseason commenced earlier than usual. The major feature of the annual winter meetings was, of course, the resolution of the strike, but the issues of offseason transactions and replacement players hung over the sport’s head. In addition to the multiple meetings between Donald Fehr, the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, and the owners’ negotiator, Richard Ravitch, the general managers convened in Scottsdale, Arizona, while the annual minor-league meetings commenced in Dallas, Texas.

Silence Between Representatives, Congress Gets Involved

As soon as Selig issued his resolution, which also canceled the 1994 World Series, Fehr indicated that, if asked by owners, he would be willing to observe a monthlong waiting period before entering into a legal battle with the owners.1 Instead, he took to the road and convened a series of regional meetings with players in Atlanta, Tampa, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Also on his itinerary was a date with Congress as antitrust hearings continued throughout the winter of 1994.

Fehr’s meetings with players served little more than informational purposes. As the fallout of the strike settled, the players received much of the news from media outlets, and Fehr used this one-on-one time to clarify the union’s position and to ensure a united front.

As Brett Butler, the Los Angeles Dodgers player representative, put it, “Until they’re ready to negotiate, all we can do is inform our players, keep having these meetings and keep them up to snuff on what’s going on.”2

Managerial Moves

Despite the whirl of adversity and uncertainty surrounding the winter months, teams still took steps to better their clubs for the coming 1995 season. Many organizations chose to work from the top down, firing five general managers and seven managers in total.

Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos continued to clean house, firing manager Johnny Oates a week after the season prematurely ended. Oates, sporting a 291-270 record at that point in his career, quickly signed on as manager of the Texas Rangers. Phil Regan stepped in to replace Oates.

Tom Trebelhorn saw the end of his tenuous time with the Chicago Cubs, with Jim Riggleman moving from San Diego to take over the North Side club. Bruce Bochy, former third-base coach of the Padres, oversaw San Diego as the youngest manager in the league in 1995.

Although the Texas Rangers sat in first place at the time of the strike, manager Kevin Kennedy found himself on the job market. Luckily, he found an open position in Boston when Butch Hobson was let go after three mediocre seasons.

The Kansas City Royals similarly experienced managerial changes. Manager Hal McRae made way for Bob Boone.3 Boone couldn’t turn the Royals around and found himself out of work by 1997.

The general-manager front was equally active. The Texas Rangers completed their overhaul, firing Tom Grieve and signing Doug Melvin, who would lead the club to three playoff appearances, the first three in franchise history. The Chicago Cubs likewise made front-office changes when Larry Himes stepped aside for Ed Lynch in October.4

St. Louis replaced Dal Maxvill with Walt Jocketty, former assistant general manager of the Colorado Rockies. Just a season removed from back-to-back World Series championships, the Toronto Blue Jays let future Hall of Famer Pat Gillick go and hired Gord Ash.5 Finally, the Minnesota Twins watched Andy MacPhail accept a position as the CEO of the Chicago Cubs and filled the general-manager role with Terry Ryan.

Free Agent Fracas on the Horizon

Without a new collective-bargaining agreement in place, free-agency filings would start on October 15, and the signing period would begin on October 30. Many players, if they were still on strike, would not sign new contracts, meaning the owners would be forced to reckon with more than 800 free agents from the 40-man rosters.

To avoid this calamity, the owners pushed for a 45-day freeze.6 Rather than force the clubs to face hundreds of free agents, the freeze would stall only 170 free-agency-eligible players, with whom the owners would not be able to negotiate during the period.7 This would allow the owners to focus their energies on working out a new free-agency calendar.

Union representatives held off on making a judgment on the freeze. Ultimately, they found that the owners were perfectly willing to come to a conclusion for them. “As for the free agents, Fehr said a letter the union received from O’Connor on Thursday led him to believe the owners plan to unilaterally impose their freeze proposal — which would keep players from filing for free agency and signing contracts before November 30,” according to the Washington Post.8

Adding to the confusion, players at that time needed six years of major-league service to become eligible for free agency. Many of those players who entered the 1994 season with five years of service fell short of the six-year mark because of the strike and subsequent cancellation of the final 52 days of the season. On the first day of the free-agent signing period, Jim Abbott, Jack McDowell, Erik Hanson, and Kenny Rogers tested the waters despite falling short of the required service time. Management’s Player Relations Committee rejected the filing immediately, setting up yet another battle in the contentious 1994 offseason.9

Among the players most affected by the 1994 strike was Chris Gwynn, brother of Tony Gwynn. Gwynn finished the 1994 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers a mere one day short of the six-year service term. Gwynn attempted to file for free agency on October 17, 1994, but the Player Relations Committee immediately rejected the suit.

The National Pastime in the Nation’s Capital

Amid the free-agency chaos and the ongoing strike, the players’ and owners’ representatives descended upon the nation’s capital on October 18 to reconvene overtures that had stalled since September 9. Former Secretary of Labor Bill Usery Jr. joined the discussions at the behest of President Bill Clinton. Usery brought more than four decades of labor-relations experience to the table.

After a day of separate meetings with the union representatives and the owners, Usery brought the two sides together for a formal session. Richard Ravitch appeared with a contingent of 11 owners while Donald Fehr brought six players to the table. While reportedly the sides discussed nothing of grave significance, Ravitch’s comments after the meeting inspired optimism. First, he stated that the owners still had not set a date for a potential free-agency freeze, and second, he said, “We have no contemplation of taking any legal steps whatsoever at this point. We reserve our right to do what we’re legally entitled to, but we have no current expectation and there was no discussion with the negotiating committee about our proceeding with any legal steps whatsoever.”10

After the first joint meeting, though, Usery took a backstage role in mediation and would not call the two sides together until November 10 at Doral Arrowwood Resort in Rye Brook, New York. Unlike the October meetings, Commissioner Bud Selig attended the first day of the four-day session but left thereafter due to the death of a close friend.

Richard Ravitch, on the other hand, found his importance to the ongoing negotiations to be waning after John Harrington, Boston Red Sox CEO, stepped into the position of owners’ committee chairman. Ravitch’s three-year, $2.25 million contract was set to expire at the end of 1994, and the lingering strike threatened his position within baseball. He was in attendance at the meetings in New York, but had little interaction with the press and referred to himself as “an adviser.”11

The New York meetings adjourned a day early, on November 12, so that the owners could come up with a new proposal for ending the strike. By this point, it had become clear that the union refused to accept any proposal containing a salary cap, so Usery pushed the owners to replace the cap with a luxury tax. But developing the new proposal would take time and compromise.

Alternative League Sees Opportunity

The swirling mass of confusion hanging over baseball opened opportunities for developing leagues. For the first time in 80 years, since the days of the short-lived Federal League, a rival league threatened to steal striking players from the majors. The budding United Baseball League convened a meeting of interested parties on November 1, 1994, in New York City.

This new league focused on rectifying the mistakes of major-league baseball’s 1994 season. The owners, led by Congressmen Bob Mrazek and John Bryant, agent Richard Moss, and economist Andrew Zimbalist, proposed a league built on player-owner cooperation. Owners would share 35 percent of pretax revenues with the players on top of a collective 10 percent player share in all teams.

The league eyed international fan bases by placing teams in both Canada and Mexico, with a plan to expand to various Asian countries.12 The league’s 154-game season was set to commence in 1996, but the high hopes fell apart when the league folded.13

General Managers’ Meeting Quiet

With the free-agent service-time decision still up in the air, the general managers’ meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, on November 16 lacked its usual fervor. Not knowing what kind of economic system they would be operating under or what their respective budgets would be, the GMs had to hold off signing free agents for the time being. For example, the Chicago Cubs stalled on re-signing star first baseman Mark Grace, who filed for free agency prior to the meetings, in case outfielders Sammy Sosa and Glenallen Hill, who fell short of the then-required six years of service time, became eligible due to a restructuring of the system.14

Other teams seemed to be operating under similar restrictions. “We’re kind of treading water till this new system is in place,” said Boston Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette. “Most general managers are waiting to see what the new arrangement will mean.”15

Even new GMs recognized the bizarre nature of the 1994 meetings. “Coming in as a new general manager,” Doug Melvin of the Texas Rangers added, “you want to be aggressive, but now you have to be a little cautious. Without knowing the system, it’s a lot tougher than normal.”16

Melvin shopped around quite a bit for a new home for outfielder Jose Canseco but couldn’t find a taker over the three-day span of the meetings. The Houston Astros, likewise, looked to sell off big-ticket stars, including second baseman Craig Biggio and right-handed hurler Doug Drabek.

The sole move of the 1994 general managers’ meetings occurred on the last day in Arizona. The Cleveland Indians sent three right-handers — Paul Byrd, Jerry Dipoto, and Dave Mlicki — plus minor-league infielder Jesus Azuaje to the New York Mets in exchange for slugging outfielder Jeromy Burnitz and right-hander Joe Roa. Byrd and Burnitz would make the All-Star Game in 1999, representing the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, respectively.

Chaotic Winter Doesn’t Affect Trades and Signings

The Texas Rangers completed the first major move of the 1994 offseason just weeks after the close of the general managers’ meeting. The Boston Red Sox took the bait and nabbed Jose Canseco in exchange for outfielder Otis Nixon and infielder Luis Ortiz.

The Houston Astros followed with a 12-player deal with the San Diego Padres on December 28. Among the names involved in the trade were third baseman Ken Caminiti and outfielder Steve Finley. Caminiti slugged his way to the MVP Award in 1996 with the Padres while Steve Finley helped the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks to the World Series championship.17

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a splash in the international waters by signing right-hander Hideo Nomo, the first Japanese major-league player to make the jump to the American majors. Nomo took home the Rookie of the Year Award in 1995 with a 13-6 record and a 2.54 ERA.

At an Impasse, Owners Impose Salary Cap

Throughout the last weeks of November, the owners and player representatives gathered again to attempt to settle the strike. Usery once again proposed that the owners postpone the declaration of an impasse and the implementation of a salary cap. In fact, Usery delayed the inevitable until December 23.

The 10-week-old negotiations fell apart when the owners rejected a last-minute proposal from the players. Even Usery admitted defeat: “There was no sense going further tonight and I recessed the negotiations. A deadline was set by owners and it was evident that we weren’t going to reach an agreement by that time.”18

In the week leading up to the final meeting, the owners passed a resolution to allow the executive council to declare an impasse if a deal did not fall into place by December 22. Peter Angelos of the Baltimore Orioles was among the few dissenting voices at the preliminary meeting in Chicago. He called the move “mass financial suicide,” a declaration that seemed to hold water when, at the same meeting, the owners learned that the 28 major-league teams owed a collective $600 million.19

Both the union and the owners filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board. Union representative Donald Fehr stated, “As the investigation proceeds, we are confident that the board will come to see that the clubs entered into negotiations with no intention of reaching an agreement other than upon the clubs’ preconceived terms.”20 The owners, on the other hand, argued that the players refused to negotiate wages on a collective basis, a direct violation of the labor act.

Replacements Cause Further Controversy

As the calendar flipped to 1995, the prospect of spring training filled with unfamiliar faces loomed over the league.21 The buzz revolved around replacement players who would cross the picket line and suit up in the spring. To preserve solidarity and prevent this from happening, the Major League Baseball Players Association announced that it would impose sanctions on agents who represent any replacement players.

The owners, for their part, drafted and ratified a set of rules governing replacement players. The new guidelines stated that nonprofessional replacement players would be paid $115,000 for the season, and each team could pay up to three former major leaguers with at least three years of experience $275,000. The contracts of current big leaguers who chose to play in the replacement games would be honored as written.22

The Players Association strongly suggested that all players listed on teams’ 40-man rosters, not just those in the majors at the time of the strike, should abstain from spring training. With the season just a few months away and a settlement possible at any time, striking players struggled to stay in game shape. San Diego Padres outfielder and future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn commented, “I get 10 or 15 minutes into my workout and sometimes I say, ‘The hell with this. They’re not going to settle.’ It’s hard to push yourself when you don’t know what’s going to happen.”23

When spring training finally commenced, a motley crew of players took the field. Ken Oberkfell, who made his major-league debut in 1977 and had not played in two years, suited up for the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies also featured former major leaguers Jeff Stone (who found work in a steel mill after his baseball career), Todd Cruz, and Marty Bystrom, all in their 30s.

Also among the replacements were a cable-television technician/Pentecostal deacon, a Coca-Cola plant supervisor, and brothers with the monikers “Motorboat” and “Speedboat” Jones.24

One of the shining stars of spring training was Pedro Borbon, who stepped in for the Cincinnati Reds. The 48-year-old right-handed pitcher, a member of the Big Red Machine, retired after the 1980 season but continued to pitch in winter ball and in the Dominican Republic. In his spare time, Borbon raised birds in Texas. Borbon, winner of two World Series with the Reds in the 1970s, was the most prominent name on the roster but was released after injuring himself when he slipped while attempting to field a ball.

Joe Girardi, Colorado Rockies player representative, slammed the replacements, saying, “After two or three days of watching UPS drivers trying to play baseball, then what are they going to do? The product is bound to be horrible. It’s a slap in the face to the fans to say: ‘You will pay for any brand of baseball we put out there.’”25

Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, quickly becoming known as a renegade among the owners, refused to field a team of strikebreakers or play against any team made up of replacements. As a result, all 32 Orioles spring-training games were canceled, and the Orioles instead opted to stage exhibitions between their minor-league affiliates. In the event the strike lingered into the 1995 season, Angelos seemed prepared to forfeit regular-season games.26

Short-Lived Cap Falls Through

On February 4, a little more than a week before players were to report to spring training, the owners budged. The salary cap implemented by the owners in late December crumpled under threats from the National Labor Relations Board. Had the owners not withdrawn the cap, the NLRB could have filed an injunction against the owners and taken the labor dispute to federal court.

The crux of the issue was the legality of the owners’ impasse declaration. The NLRB found that the 25-to-3 vote in Chicago allowing the executive board to declare an impasse on behalf of the owners was unofficial and not a legal basis for the declaration.

The Commissioner Gets Involved

Throughout the offseason meetings, interim Commissioner Bud Selig took a back seat. In late February, though, the overseer and Milwaukee Brewers owner got directly involved in the talks. Selig sat down with Fehr in a series of meetings that spanned the months of February and March. However, the extensive meetings found no common ground, and only the intervention by a federal court would put this conflict to rest.

In a bit of synchronicity, on March 22, the day that owners voted 26 to 2 to use replacement players in the regular season, the NLRB took the side of the Players Association and asked US District Court Judge (and future Supreme Court Justice) Sonia Sotomayor to issue an injunction to restore free-agent bidding and salary arbitration.

Sotomayor granted the injunction on March 31, effectively reinstating the pre-1994 collective-bargaining agreement. In light of the decision, the players extended an offer to end the strike. The offer included a luxury tax in lieu of the salary cap.

“We hope that offer will be accepted and accepted promptly,” said Fehr. “If both sides want it to be, this can be an opportunity to bargain this out. It seems to me we need to seize that opportunity.”27

The owners accepted the agreement on April 2, 1995, and set an April 26 date for Opening Day. The season began without a new collective-bargaining agreement, and in fact a new agreement would not be agreed upon until November 1996. To this day, Major League Baseball remains the only major professional sports league without a salary cap. But the 1995 season began, belatedly, and the experience of the costly strike may have prompted later rounds of collective bargaining to be concluded less acrimoniously. There has not been another work stoppage since the 1994-95 strike.

We, The Owners …

The following is the owners’ announcement that the remainder of the 1994 season would be canceled, and their publicly-stated perception regarding the reasons for the cancellation.

“Whereas the 28 Major League Baseball Clubs (“the Clubs”) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (“the MLBPA”) have been engaged in collective bargaining over an extended period; and

Whereas, the MLBPA has consistently been unwilling to respond in any meaningful way to the Clubs’ need to contain costs and has consistently refused to bargain with the Clubs concerning a division of industry revenues with the players or any other method of establishing aggregate player compensation; and

Whereas, the MLBPA’s 33-day strike has caused the cancellation of all games since August 12, 1994, and has made it impossible for the players to resume play at a championship level without a substantial training period.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that:

In order to protect the integrity of the Championship Season, the Division Series, the League Championship Series and the World Series, the 28 clubs have concluded with enormous regret that the remainder of the 1994 season, the Division Series, the League Championship and the World Series must be cancelled and the Clubs will explore all avenues to achieve a meaningful, structural reform of Baseball’s player compensation system in an effort to ensure that the 1995 and future Championship Seasons can occur as scheduled and uninterrupted.”

Notes

1 Ross Newhan, “Baseball Season, Series Cancelled,” Los Angeles Times, September 15, 1994: 1.

2 “Players Solidly Behind Strike,” Chicago Tribune, September 21, 1994: 4.

3 McRae and Boone share more than just their history with the Kansas City Royals; both had the pleasure of managing a son in the major leagues.

4 The 1994 Chicago Cubs season failed on many fronts, illustrated by the sudden retirement of star Ryne Sandberg in mid-June. Sandberg would return to the Cubs for the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

5 Ash would draft All-Stars Roy Halladay, Michael Young, Vernon Wells, and Orlando Hudson.

6 Larry Whiteside, “Baseball Owners Seek a 45-day Freeze,” Boston Globe, October 5, 1994: 73.

7 According to a January 6 article in the Washington Post, only 234 of the 1,069 major-league players were under contract for 1995 and beyond. If all restricted free agents became unrestricted free agents, 835 players would be on the market.

8 Mark Maske, “Ex-Labor Secretary Usery to Mediate Baseball Meetings,” Washington Post, October 15, 1994.

9 Murray Chass, “Four Players Fire the First Salvo of the Free-Agent Wars,” New York Times, October 16, 1994.

10 Murray Chass, “A Hint of Hope by Baseball Owners,” New York Times, October 20, 1994.

11 Murray Chass, “Owners’ New Voice Is Peddling Same Line,” New York Times, November 12, 1994.

12 Murray Chass, “New League Plans Partnership for Clubs and Players,” New York Times, November 1, 1994.

13 The league folded in April 1996 when Liberty Sports, the television station with whom the UBL had a deal, merged with Fox. See “United League Strikes Out,” Gainesville Sun, April 12, 1996: 2C.

14 Jerome Holtzman, “Between Rounds of Golf, GMs Plan for the Future,” Chicago Tribune, November 15, 1994.

15 Murray Chass, “Traders Can’t Shuffle Their Decks,” New York Times, November 17, 1994.

16 Ibid.

17 The full deal found the Astros sending shortstop Andujar Cedeño, infielder-outfielder Roberto Petagine, right-hander Brian Williams and a player to be named (who became left-hander Sean Fesh), plus Caminiti and Finley to the Padres, while San Diego shipped outfielder Derek Bell, right-handed pitcher Doug Brocail, infielder Ricky Gutierrez, left-hander Pedro Martinez (not the Hall of Famer), outfielder Phil Plantier, and Australian-born infielder Craig Shipley.

18 Murray Chass, “Baseball Owners Implement a Cap on Players’ Pay,” New York Times. December 23, 1994. 

19 Mark Maske, “Even Owners Split on Baseball’s Direction,” Washington Post, December 25, 1994.

20 Murray Chass, “Players and Owners File Complaints With Labor Board,” New York Times, December 28, 1994.

21 Several big-name players started their career as replacements. As a result, their likenesses and names were banned by the Players Association from licensed merchandise. Additionally, World Series winners Shane Spencer (New York Yankees), Damian Miller (Arizona Diamondbacks), Brendan Donnelly (Anaheim Angels), and Kevin Millar (Boston Red Sox) were banned from commemorative championship merchandise.

22 Mark Maske, “Replacement Rules Approved,” Washington Post, January 14, 1995.

23 Chuck Johnson, “Players Work to Stay Fit, Focused During Negotiations,” USA Today, February 3, 1995.

24 Tom Verducci, “The Sham Spring,” Sports Illustrated, February 23, 2015.

25 Ross Newhan, “Strike Throws Curve Into Start of Spring Training Baseball,” Los Angeles Times, February 16, 1995.

26 Mark Maske, “Orioles’ Opponents Pull Out of Games,” Washington Post, March 1, 1995: F01.

27 Mark Maske, “Baseball Players Offer to End Strike,” Washington Post, April 1, 1995: A01.

The Walking Men

As expected, the list is headed by Barry Bonds, circa 2004. He had almost 100 more walks than hits, by far the highest margin in history. Next up is also Bonds with his impressive 2002 season, which at that point broke the MLB record for walks in a season. Of course, we’re looking here at results only, not discussing whether they were achieved in a natural way or not. The above list shows all seasons with a (walks/hits) differential of 20 or more. There are four pre-1900 seasons in there as well as three third-millenium entries, all by Bonds.

Note the absence of any entries for almost the entire first half of the 20th century. Roy Cullenbine’s 1947 season is the first in the 20th century. Also quite as expected is that most players on the list are veterans, the majority being in their thirties while gaining entry. The obvious exception is Willie McGill in 1891 at just 18 years old, his second year in the league. He is the only pitcher on the list.

Looking at totals, the following number of seasons is listed in which a player accumulated a positive differential (BBH), showing all players who achieved the feat at least twice: first season indicates the first season of more walks than hits for the player, not his debut season in the majors. We see two players with an impressive six seasons of more walks than hits, followed by five players with four seasons each, including modern sluggers Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Jack Clark.

Of course, Barry Bonds may climb up the ladder before his career is finished. Noteworthy is the relative absence of pre-1900 players on this list with only three entries, although this includes Yank Robinson with four seasons. Half of the players (14 out of 28) had their first(BB>H) season after 1960.

Methodology for Determining Starting Line-Up Platoons

A position “platoon” is defined as two (or sometimes three) players being used in the starting line-up at the same position by their manager on a regular basis depending primarily on whether the opposing starting pitcher is left-handed or right-handed, but also right-handed batting catchers alternated by their manager on a game-to-game basis. I relied on data included under the “Defensive Lineups” tab in the website www.baseball-reference.com for each team in every year beginning in 1914 to determine starting line-up platoons. These data were made available through the painstaking efforts of Retrosheet researchers.

• For starting line-up platoons at any position (or across any of the three outfield positions), left-handed batters are identified by their names in italics. Switch-hitters are identified by an (x) after their name, and their names are italicized for their ability to bat left-handed if the player who shared their position was a right-handed batter.

• I required that a position platoon must have been in effect for at least one month to be acknowledged. This takes into account situations where a manager may have used a platoon combination to replace his intended day-to-day regular at any given position because of injury, illness, or some other reason.

• In some cases, managers platooned aging veterans with younger players. The platoon situation must be obvious, most typically dependent on whether the opposing starter was a right-handed or left-handed pitcher. Veteran players are identified with a (v) after their name.

• In a few cases, young or relatively-recent players in the major leagues were used by their managers in a starting line-up platoon even though both batted from the same side. I determined such platoons based on either one player almost never starting against, for example, left-handed pitchers, or by a clear pattern of use indicating the manager was alternating them virtually game-to-game.

• For any player who was a day-to-day regular in the starting line-up mostly at one position, but who platooned with another player at a different position, his primary position will be noted in parenthesis after his name. I do not include in this rotational mix everyday outfielders who play anywhere in the outfield depending upon which of the platooned players is in the line-up.

• Teams for each year are listed in the order of their final standing for the season. Pennant or division-winning teams are identified in bold face.

National League platoons, 1914-20

NL managers who platooned most often, 1914-1920

• George Stallings (6)—1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1920
• John McGraw (4)—1914, 1917, 1918, 1920
• Wilbert Robinson (3)—1916, 1919, 1920
• Pat Moran (3)—1918, 1919, 1920

Where NL teams platooned, 1914-1920

• Boston Braves (6 years)—10 OF
• Cincinnati Reds (5 years)—2 OF, 5 C
• New York Giants (4 years)—4 OF, 1 C
• St. Louis Cardinals (4 years)—5 OF, 1 C
• Brooklyn Dodgers (3 years)—3 OF
• Pittsburgh Pirates (3 years)—1 OF, 1 C, 1 1B
• Chicago Cubs (2 years)—3 OF
• Philadelphia Phillies (2 years)—1 C, 1 3B

Positions platooned: 28 OF, 9 C, 1 1B, 1 3B

National League platoons, 1921-30

NL managers who platooned most often, 1921-1930

• John McGraw (8)—1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930
• Branch Rickey (6)—1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925
• Wilbert Robinson (6)—1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1929
• Bill McKechnie (5)—1922, 1923, 1925, 1929, 1930

Where NL teams platooned, 1921-1930

• Boston Braves (8 years)—8 OF, 1 1B
• New York Giants (8 years)—9 OF, 1 C
• St. Louis Cardinals (7 years)—10 OF, 1 1B
• Philadelphia Phillies (7 years)—8 OF, 2 1B, 1 3B
• Brooklyn Dodgers (6 years)—6 OF, 1 3B
• Chicago Cubs (4 years)—5 OF
• Pittsburgh Pirates (3 years)—2 OF, 1 1B
• Cincinnati Reds (1 year)—1 C

Positions platooned: 48 OF, 5 1B, 2 3B, 2 C

National League platoons, 1931-40

NL managers who platooned most often, 1931-1940

• Bill Terry (4)—1932, 1933, 1934, 1940
• Pie Traynor (3)—1934, 1935, 1936

Where NL teams platooned, 1931-1940

• New York Giants (5 years)—5 OF
• Pittsburgh Pirates (5 years)—2 OF, 2 C, 1 3B
• Brooklyn Dodgers (4 years)—3 OF, 2 C
• St. Louis Cardinals (3 years)—3 OF, 1 C
• Cincinnati Reds (2 years)—2 OF, 1 2B
• Chicago Cubs (2 years)—2 OF
• Boston Braves and Philadelphia Phillies (did not platoon this decade)

Positions platooned: 17 OF, 5 C, 1 2B, 1 3B

American League platoons, 1914-20

AL managers who platooned most often, 1914-1920

• Hughie Jennings (4)—1914, 1915, 1919, 1920
• Bill Carrigan (3)—1914, 1915, 1916
• Pants Rowland (3)—1916, 1917, 1918

Where AL teams platooned, 1914-1920

• Boston Red Sox (5 years)—2 OF, 3 1B, 2 C
• Detroit Tigers (4 years)—3 OF, 1 C, 1 3B
• Chicago White Sox (4 years)—4 OF
• Cleveland Indians (3 years)—4 OF
• New York Yankees (2 years)—1 C, 1 OF
• St. Louis Browns (1 year)—1 OF
• Washington Senators (1 year)—1 OF
• Philadelphia Athletics—did not platoon

Positions platooned: 16 OF, 4 C, 3 1B, 1 3B

American League platoons, 1921-30

AL managers who platooned most often, 1921-1930

• Tris Speaker (7)—1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925
• Miller Huggins (5)—1918, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929
• Lee Fohl (5)—1916, 1919, 1923, 1924, 1925

Where AL teams platooned, 1921-30

• Cleveland Indians (7 years)—7 OF, 2 C, 2 1B, 1 SS
• Chicago White Sox (5 years)—5 OF, 1 1B
• New York Yankees (5 years)—5 C, 1 OF
• St. Louis Browns (5 years)—3 OF, 2 3B
• Boston Red Sox (4 years)—2 OF, 1 3B
• Detroit Tigers (4 years)—3 OF, 1 SS
• Washington Senators (3 years)—2 OF, 1 C
• Philadelphia Athletics (3 years)—2 OF, 1 C

Positions platooned: 25 OF, 9 C, 3 1B, 3 3B, 2 SS

American League platoons, 1931-40

AL managers who platooned most often, 1931-1940

• Walter Johnson (6)—1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1935
• Bucky Harris (4)—1935, 1936, 1938, 1939
• Joe McCarthy (4)—1935, 1936, 1937, 1938

Where AL teams platooned, 1931-1940

• Washington Senators (7 years)—7 OF, 1 2B, 1 SS
• Cleveland Indians (6 years)—5 OF, 1 C
• St. Louis Browns (5 years)—4 OF, 1 C, 1 3B
• New York Yankees (4 years)—5 OF
• Chicago White Sox (2 years)—2 OF
• Detroit Tigers (2 years)—1 OF, 1 C
• Philadelphia Athletics (1 year)—2B
• Boston Red Sox (did not platoon this decade)

Positions platooned: 24 OF, 3 C, 2 2B, 1 SS, 1 3B

“With the bases full Foley caught the sphere fair on the end of his ash and away it went over the left field fence for a home run.”1 This first-inning grand slam on May 25, 1882, by Buffalo Bisons outfielder Charles “Curry” Foley sparked a 20–1 rout over the rival Cleveland Blues. Along the way, Foley also slugged a triple in the second inning, a double in the fifth, and a single in the third. However, no one at Riverside Park in Buffalo that afternoon was likely aware of the historic baseball curiosity that had occurred—Foley had just hit for the first cycle in major-league history.

A BASEBALL CURIOSITY

A cycle consists of at least one single, double, triple, and home run hit by a player in a single game. A “natural” cycle requires that the hits occur in order from single to home run, while a reverse natural cycle calls for the opposite. That a cycle is simply a specific collection of hits by a player during an arbitrary span of at-bats does not make the feat any less fascinating, however.

On June 10, 1920, Akron Buckeyes (International League) infielder Bill Webb was noted to be “the first player to hit for the cycle this season…Bill clouting two singles, a double, a triple, and a round tripper off Toronto hurling,” perhaps becoming the earliest professional player to have his accomplishment reported.2 Interestingly, use of the words “this season” in this article implies that hitting for the cycle was recognized prior to 1920 in some circles, though this author has yet to unearth earlier references.

Two months later on August 8, Browns first baseman George Sisler hit for the cycle against the Washington Nationals at Sportsman Park in St. Louis. Sisler had “delivered all kinds of hits, a single, double, triple and home run,” but the feat was not contemporaneously celebrated by name.3 In fact, when Bobby Veach and George J. Burns each hit for cycles on September 17, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that Veach was “the first player in his league to hit for the cycle” that season, evidently unaware Sisler had turned the trick several weeks earlier.4 In 1921, the York Daily Record reported that the Yankees’ Bob Meusel had hit for the cycle on May 7 and noted that Sisler, Veach, and Burns had each hit for the cycle the previous season.5

When Browns second baseman Oscar Melillo and Giants outfielder Mel Ott hit for cycles in the same week in 1929, the Hartford Courant declared that “both men thereby entered their names in that classic list of sluggers who have ‘hit the cycle.’”6 As of 1930, recognition of the achievement was still not universal, however. When Giants infielder Freddie Lindstrom hit for the cycle at Pittsburgh on May 8, the papers noted the feat.7 There was no mention of a cycle in the papers, however, when Cubs center fielder Hack Wilson or Cardinals left fielder Chick Hafey hit for the cycle on June 23 or August 21, respectively. In 1934, The Sporting News listed cycles as American League highlights for the previous season (but did not publish a corresponding list of the four cycles in the National League in 1933).8

On June 29, 1935, Cardinals left fielder Joe Medwick hit for the cycle at Cincinnati, the only cycle in either the AL or NL that season, but a pair of amateur ballplayers—Ethel Higgins and Eve Jocha—each hit for the cycle in the same game as the Mansfield (Ohio) Red Birds shellacked the Ashland club 26–8 on August 18, 1935.9 In 1937, a sports page trivia question asked readers to name the last major league player to have hit for the cycle.10 However, the purported answer (Joe Medwick, 1935) was incorrect. Giants first baseman Sam Leslie had completed a cycle on May 24, 1936—a seemingly tacit acknowledgment that cataloging the accomplishment was still very much in flux.

When Cardinal Johnny Mize hit for the cycle on July 13, 1940, an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the following morning noted the achievement without defining the feat, although each hit and the inning in which it occurred was detailed.11 When Yankees catcher Buddy Rosar hit for the cycle less than a week later, at least one newspaper mentioned the feat in a subheading without providing any further details; while another story defined hitting for the cycle for readers “in lay terms.”12 Coincidentally, Rosar might have been the first player to admit on the record the requisite knowledge he had hit for the cycle and was proud of the achievement.13 The cycle was well on its way to becoming a generally accepted term in the baseball lexicon.

CYCLES AND NEAR-MISS CYCLES

Baseball Almanac appears to have the most complete list of cycles—344 in all—spanning from Curry Foley in 1882 to Jose Altuve in 2023; see Figure 1.14 Six players have completed three cycles in their careers: John Reilly (1883, 1883, 1890); Babe Herman (1931, 1931, 1933); Bob Meusel (1921, 1922, 1928); Adrian Beltre (2008, 2012, 2015); Christian Yelich (2018, 2018, 2022); and Trea Turner (2017, 2019, 2021). No one has hit a fourth cycle—yet.

Utilizing Baseball Reference’s Stathead feature to search 1901 through 2023, we find at least 6146 attempts at a cycle have fallen a home run short, 15,659 have fallen a triple short, and 2058 have failed to register the necessary double (See Figure 2).15 But presumably the most frustrating near-miss is when a player falls a measly single short of completing the cycle. Not surprisingly, the odds of missing a cycle by a particular hit correlate well with the frequency of that type of hit.16

There have been at least 520 occurrences of a player falling a single short of the cycle starting with Boston American’s outfielder Chick Stahl on August 20, 1901.17 There have been 41 players who had multiple games in which they fell a single short of the cycle (See Table 1). Ten players have fallen a single shy of the cycle three separate times each and six of those players never hit for the cycle in their (otherwise illustrious) careers.

Table 1: Players with Multiple Single-Shy Games but no Cycles in Major League Career (1901-2023)

(Click image to enlarge)

Frank Robinson and Gregg Jefferies each had three single-shy near-miss cycles but were otherwise able to add a cycle to their respective baseball resumes. When Robinson fell a single short on May 6, 1956, the Cincinnati Enquirer noted that he “just missed hitting for the cycle” after being robbed of a single by Granny Hamner in the sixth.18 Robinson eventually hit for the cycle on May 2, 1959, and came close two additional times, once each for Cincinnati (1964) and Baltimore (1969). Jefferies came up a single short on three different occasions for the Mets in 1988 (in back-to-back weeks, during his first 11 major league starts) and 1989. His first near-miss cycle on August 29 featured his first career triple and home run. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about hitting for the cycle,” he said after the game.19 Jefferies later hit for the cycle with the Phillies on August 25, 1995.

Lou Gehrig came within a single of completing cycles in 1927, 1929, and 1930 but was eventually able to close the deal twice, hitting for the cycle on June 25, 1934, and August 1, 1937. When Joe Cronin of the Washington Nationals hit for the cycle on September 2, 1929, the Evening Star was more impressed with Cronin’s 12 total bases on five hits, “thought to be the best made in the American League at least in the past two or three seasons.”20 Cronin came close to cycles for Washington in 1930, 1931, and 1932, but fell a single short each time. Cronin hit for his second cycle on August 2, 1940, as a member of the Red Sox.

(Click image to enlarge)

OH, SO CLOSE

Of the six players who came within a single of hitting for the cycle three times without ever having hit for the cycle, two of those players finished their respective playing careers as the all-time home run leader (one surpassing the other); three others hit at least 280 career home runs; and the final player finished his career with just 61 home runs, with nearly 5% of his career home runs and 10% of his career triples occurring in that trio of games in which he fell a single shy of the cycle.

BABE RUTH (THREE CHANCES FOR SINGLE)

On July 2, 1923, Yankees outfielder Babe Ruth hit a home run, triple, and double in his first four at-bats, the first three requirements for a reverse natural cycle.21 When he came to bat in the seventh, Ruth hit a ball off Nationals twirler Bonnie Hollingsworth that was caught down the right-field line. Ruth was replaced in right field by Elmer Smith following the Yankees’ half-inning.

On July 18, 1930, Ruth again came within a single of hitting for the cycle but fell short in five at-bats as the Yankees lost to the Browns in St. Louis. The papers noted that Ruth “gave his rivals something of a lesson in long distance clouting” with a home run, triple and double, yet there was no mention he had fallen a single shy of the cycle.

On May 21, 1931, Ruth again began the day with the three toughest hits of a reverse natural cycle having collected a home run, triple, and double in his first three at-bats against Willis Hudlin at Cleveland’s League Park. However, Ruth flew out and grounded out in his final two at-bats that afternoon as the Yankees held on for the 7–6 win. No contemporaneous notations regarding how close Ruth came to hitting for the cycle on this occasion has been found.

Babe Ruth had three career chances to hit a single to complete the cycle but had no such luck. (Ruth also had nine games in which he fell a double short of the cycle, 41 games where he was a triple short, and seven games in which he was a home run short of a cycle.)

ELLIS BURKS (THREE CHANCES FOR SINGLE)

On July 17, 1988, Red Sox center fielder Ellis Burks hit a home run, triple, and double through the first four innings against the Royals at Fenway Park. A lineout and strikeout in his last two at-bats prevented him from completing the reverse natural cycle, however.

As a member of the Rockies, Burks had a triple and double in his first two at-bats against the Cardinals on May 3, 1994, but he reached first on an error by third baseman Todd Zeile in the fourth inning and was walked intentionally in the sixth. He hit a home run off Willie Smith in the eighth, but never got another plate appearance in the game. After the game, Burks was optimistic about the team, “If we can hold guys to three or four runs a game, especially with this lineup, we’re going to win a lot,” but his near-miss cycle was not mentioned.22

Burks started his game on August 24, 1996, at Coors Field with a reverse natural cycle in his first three at-bats against the Pirates. In the sixth Burks drove in Walt Weiss with a flyout. Unfortunately, he did not get another at-bat in the game. His near miss was noted the next morning, however, “Burks narrowly missed hitting for the cycle. He had a homer, triple, and double in his first three at-bats, then sent a drive to the center-field wall for a sacrifice fly.”23

Ellis Burks had three career chances to hit a single to complete the cycle, but was denied. (Burks also had one game in which he fell a double short of the cycle, 25 games where he was a triple short, and one game in which he was a home run short of a cycle.)

HENRY AARON (TWO CHANCES FOR SINGLE*)

In a game against the Pirates at Forbes Field on May 3, 1957, Braves outfielder Henry Aaron knocked a double, home run, and triple in six at-bats as Milwaukee pulled off an extra-inning win against Pittsburgh. Aaron’s triple came off Roy Face in the top of the eleventh and he scored the go-ahead run on a Bobby Thomson single. The Braves held on to win 8–7. Aaron’s near-miss cycle was not mentioned the next day’s papers—but the cycle hit by a Pennsylvania high school sophomore named Neubiser was.24

In a game at home on September 12, 1958, Aaron had a double, home run, and triple in his first four at-bats against the Cardinals, but never got another at-bat as the Braves shut out St. Louis, 6–0.

On May 3, 1962, the Braves visited the Philadelphia Phillies and Aaron began the evening contest with a reverse natural cycle in his first three at-bats. Facing Bobby Locke in the top of the eighth, Aaron struck out swinging. Aaron had one final at-bat in the top of the ninth as Milwaukee had their last chance to erase a two-run deficit to the Phillies. Facing Jack Baldschun, Aaron hit a home run to left field that scored Mack Jones to tie the game.

Henry Aaron had two career chances to hit a single to complete the cycle but was unable to complete the deal. (Aaron also had one game in which he fell a double short of the cycle, 29 games where he was a triple short, and seven games in which he was a home run short of a cycle.)

* Aaron’s performance on May 3, 1962, qualifies as a quasi-cycle (four extra base hits in a game, with at least one of each of the three types of extra base hits).25

BRIAN GILES (TWO CHANCES FOR SINGLE)

On August 15, 2000, Brian Giles and the Pittsburgh Pirates visited the Houston Astros at Enron Field. In his first three at-bats against Jose Lima, Giles had a reverse natural cycle going. In the top of the eighth, however, southpaw rookie Wayne Franklin hit Giles with a pitch and Giles never got another plate appearance.

On August 9, 2001, Giles hit a home run, double, and triple in his first three at-bats against Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park at PNC Park. Alberto Reyes got Giles to chase in the bottom of the seventh, the strikeout having been Giles’ final at-bat of the game. Pirates Manager Lloyd McClendon commented after the game, “I know everybody in the park wanted a single, but I was rooting for another home run.”26

Then with the Padres in 2004, Giles hit a triple in his first at-bat, drew a walk in the third, hit a home run in the fifth, and was walked intentionally by Antonio Alfonseca in the seventh inning on August 18 against Atlanta in San Diego. In his final at-bat Giles smacked a double that ended the game when Mark Loretta was thrown out at home. Giles’ near-miss cycle was not noted that next day, but the cycle hit by Mark Teixeira on August 17 was still newsworthy.27

Brian Giles had two career chances (one of which resulted in his having been plunked) to hit a single to complete the cycle but missed out. (Giles also had two games in which he fell a double short of the cycle, 13 games where he was a triple short, and four games in which he was a home run short of a cycle.)

MAGGLIO ORDÓÑEZ (ONE CHANCE FOR SINGLE)

On April 23, 2000, Magglio Ordóñez hit a three-run home run in the first inning against Detroit’s Dave Borkowski. He had a double in his next at-bat and then was caught looking in the third. Ordóñez hit a leadoff triple in the bottom of the sixth and had one more chance to complete his cycle. However, Ordóñez whiffed against Matt Anderson in the bottom of the eighth. Ordóñez was aware how close he was, “yeah, everybody told me. I was looking for that base hit.”28

While playing for the Tigers in 2008, Ordóñez grounded out in his first at-bat against the Twins at the Metrodome on September 6. In his next three at-bats Ordóñez socked a double, triple, and home run but never got another chance at the plate.

On June 3, 2010, Ordóñez began his day with a popout in the bottom of the first against Cleveland at Comerica Park. He followed with a triple, groundout, and double, and ended his offensive day with a home run off Tony Sipp in the bottom of the seventh. Detroit won the game 12–6. His near-miss cycle was mentioned the following morning, but the postgame conversation still concerned Armando Galarraga’s near perfect game the night before. Tigers manager Jim Leyland commented, “I was a little concerned about so much emotion spent last night because of the situation that maybe we would be a little flat today, but we weren’t.”29

Magglio Ordóñez had one career chance to hit a single to complete the cycle but did not manage the feat. (Ordóñez never had a game in which he fell a double short of the cycle, had 26 games where he was a triple short, and three games in which he was a home run short of a cycle.)

MANNY TRILLO (ZERO CHANCES FOR SINGLE)

On July 10, 1976. Cubs second baseman Manny Trillo smashed a double in the first and a home run in the third off Giants pitcher Jim Barr at Wrigley Field. He flew out to right field in the sixth and tripled in the eighth. (All three of Trillo’s hits scored Pete LaCock.) Trillo did not get another at-bat, however, as the Cubs beat San Francisco, 8–6.

On May 5, 1977, Trillo had a home run and double in his first two at-bats off Astros hurler Floyd Bannister. He struck out in the bottom of the fifth against Joe Niekro and then tripled off Joe Sambito in the seventh. The Cubs hung on to win, 8–7, but Trillo never had an opportunity to complete his cycle.

Playing at second base for the Phillies at Veterans Stadium on July 14, 1980, Trillo had a double and home run in his first two at-bats against Pittsburgh’s Rick Rhoden but flew out in his next two at-bats. In the bottom of the eighth, Trillo laced a triple to right field off Grant Jackson but did not get another at-bat in the game.

Trillo, who compiled 61 home runs and 33 triples in his 17-year major league career, never had a chance to hit a single to complete a cycle. He never otherwise hit for the cycle and was never a double short of the cycle. Trillo had four games in which he was a triple short of the cycle and two games in which he was a home run shy.

Trillo was unaware how close he had come to a cycle those three times: “I missed by a single three times? Man, that’s the easiest one!”30

NEAR-MISS CYCLE CURIOSITIES

There is a palpable delight in the hearts of many baseball fans when a player hits for the cycle—regardless of the arbitrary nature of the feat—because it is a decidedly rare occurrence. Near-miss cycles are much more common, but the excitement exists only for that player’s final at-bats with the potential to complete the cycle.

No pitcher has hit for the cycle, but three have come within a single of doing so: Grover Alexander, Chicago Cubs (1925), Bill Sherdel, St. Louis Cardinals (1926), and Steve Sundra, St. Louis Browns (1942). Three hitters each came up a single shy of the cycle on consecutive days in 1988: Chet Lemon, Detroit Tigers (June 17), Chris Sabo, Cincinnati Reds (June 18), and Andre Dawson, Chicago Cubs (June 19). Ken Griffey (Cincinnati Reds) and Ken Griffey Jr. (Seattle Mariners) each had one game where they fell a single short of the cycle (1977 and 1998, respectively), but neither hit for the cycle in their respective careers.

Regardless, near-miss cycles are appropriate occasions for passing lament—especially when the player was (desperately) seeking a single. 

JOHN RACANELLI is a Chicago lawyer with an insatiable interest in baseball-related litigation. John is membership director for the Chicago SABR Chapter and founder of the SABR Baseball Landmarks Research Committee. A regular contributor to the SABR Baseball Cards Research Committee, his “Death and Taxes and Baseball Card Litigation” series of articles was a 2023 McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award winner.

SOURCES

www.baseball-reference.com

www.retrosheet.org

NOTES

1 “A Great Game,” Buffalo Courier Express, May 26, 1882, 4.

2 “Eight Akron Players are Still Hitting Above .300 Mark—Bill Webb is Leading,” Akron Evening Times, June 19, 1920, 10. The author has not yet found any earlier mention of a baseball player hitting for the cycle or any etymological context. (Searches prior to this specific article mostly concerned motorcycle or bicycle collisions.)

3 “Big League Stuff,” Indiana Daily Times (Indianapolis), August 9, 1920, 6.

4 “Features of the Week on the Diamond,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 26, 1920, 63.

5 “Heilmann is Hitting for .521 Percentage,” York (Pennsylvania) Daily Record, May 14, 1921, 7; Herm Krabbenhoft, “Quasi-Cycles: Better Than Cycles?,” Baseball Research Journal, Fall 2017; Michael Huber and Allison Davidson, “Origin of the Phrase ‘Hitting for the Cycle’ and An Approach to How Cycles Occur,” Baseball Research Journal, Spring 2018 (these previous Baseball Research Journal articles suggest that the term “cycle” dated back at least as far as 1921).

6 “Melillo and Mel Ott Hit for Cycle in Big Leagues,” Hartford Courant, June 9, 1929, 43.

7 “Gets Five Hits,” Reading (Pennsylvania) Times, May 9, 1930, 23.

8 Henry Edwards, “High Spots of 1933 in American League,” The Sporting News, January 11, 1934, 2. Players who hit for the cycle in 1933: AL— Mickey Cochrane (Philadelphia), Pinky Higgins (Philadelphia), Jimmie Foxx (Philadelphia), and Earl Averill (Cleveland); NL—Pepper Martin (St. Louis), Chuck Klein (Philadelphia), Arky Vaughan (Pittsburgh), and Babe Herman (Chicago).

9 “Higgins, Jocha hit for Cycle,” News-Journal (Mansfield, Ohio), August 19, 1935, 8.

10 “How Much Do You Know?,” Republican and Herald (Pottsville, Pennsylvania), April 6, 1937, 8.

11 “Mize Hits for Cycle,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 14, 1940, 35.

12 “Yanks Batter Smith, Indians by 15–6 Score,” Journal and Courier (Lafayette, Indiana), July 20, 1940, “Buddy Rosar Hits for Cycle” listed in subheading; “Yankees Club Tribe, 15–6; Cycle for Rosar,” Daily News (New York, New York), July 20, 1940, 136.

13 Frederick Lieb, “Buddy Rosar, Being Fitted for Bill Dickey’s Big Shoes, Proves Shining Example of Yanks’ Polishing System,” The Sporting News, January 2, 1941, 3.

14 Baseball Almanac, “MLB Players to Hit for the Cycle,” www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/Major_League_Baseball_Players_to_hit_for_the_cycle.shtml, accessed December 20, 2023. Retrosheet also lists 344 cycles but includes a disputed cycle for George Hall on June 14, 1876, and omits Freddie Freeman’s August 18, 2021, cycle for unknown reasons. Using Baseball Reference’s Stathead search feature, the author found 300 cycles beginning with Fred Clarke’s on July 23, 1901. However, Harry Davis’s cycle from July 10, 1901, was not included in the Baseball Reference search results. Additionally, there are four Negro League cycles listed on Retrosheet (but not found on the Baseball Almanac list) that have been included by the author in Figure 1—Bonnie Serrell, Kansas City Monarchs (1944); Hank Thompson, Kansas City Monarchs (1947); Jim Pendleton, Chicago American Giants (1948); and Willard Brown, Kansas City Monarchs (1948).

15 For purposes of this article, Baseball Reference searches were used to calculate the occurrences of those games in which players fell one type of hit short of completing a cycle. Generally, the Baseball Reference Stathead feature has searchable box scores going back to 1901. Accordingly, this article considers games played from July 23, 1901 through the present, with the caveat that additional occurrences before and after this date certainly exist and may be discovered later as detailed box scores and game accounts are uncovered and/or digitized.

16 Andy, “Missing the Cycle,” BR Bullpen, https://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/101.html, accessed July 8, 2024.

17 Near-miss cycles from the Negro Leagues for the 1940-1948 season have not been included in the calculations due to the author’s inability to find an automated manner in which to query the box scores for those games.

18 “Lou Smith’s Notes,” The Cincinnati Enquirer, May 7, 1956, 46.

19 “Rookie Jefferies Makes His Mark,” The Ithaca (New York) Journal, August 30, 1988, 11.

20 John Keller, “Cronin’s Hitting Sets Mark for Griffs: Jones Must Battle to Annex Medal,” Evening Star (Washington, DC). September 3, 1929, 33.

21 “No Change in Batting Lead,” Santa Cruz (California) Evening News, July 19, 1930, 8.

22 Mike Eisenbath, “Rockies Rain HRs On Cards,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 4, 1994, 27.

23 “Bombers, Thompson Beat Bucs,” The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colorado), August 25, 1996, 31.

24 “Meyersdale, Rockwood Continue Streak; Witt Hurls No Hitter,” The Daily American (Somerset, Pennsylvania), May 4, 1957, 7.

25 Herm Krabbenhoft, “Quasi-Cycles: Better Than Cycles?,” Baseball Research Journal, Fall 2017

26 Paul Meyer, “Giles, Wilson Help Pirates Finish Off L.A.,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 10, 2001, 46.

27 “Who’s Hot,” Cincinnati Enquirer, August 19, 2004, 40.

28 Jimmy Greenfield, “No Brawling, Just a Sox Mauling,” Chicago Tribune, April 24, 2000, 25.

29 Vince Ellis, “Focused Tigers Deliver 17 Hits,” Detroit Free Press, June 4, 2010, 19.

30 Manny Trillo, interview with author January 13, 2024.

APPENDICES

Players With Multiple Near-Miss Cycles by No Cycles (1901-2023)

Complete List of Near-Miss Cycles (1901-2023)