Brewers Christian Yelich hit for historic cycle thanks to teammate's hustle in a blowout
- Brewers star and NL MVP hopeful Christian Yelich hit for the cycle Monday night against the Reds, making him the fifth player in MLB history to do it twice in a season and the first to do so against the same team.
- With his team up 6-0 in the sixth inning, Yelich ripped a two-run triple to secure the historic feat.
- The triple would have never happened if not for Curtis Granderson hustling home from first base on the play.
The Brewers' star outfielder Christian Yelich made MLB history Monday night by becoming the fifth player to hit for two cycles in a single season and the first player ever to do so against the same team.
But according to Yelich himself, all of the credit for his cycle-sealing triple in the sixth inning of the Brewers' game against the Reds should go to teammate Curtis Granderson.
Granderson may not have broken into a full-on sprint on the hit, given that the Brewers were already up 6-0 on Cincinnati. But evidently, he was eager to help his teammate make history. When Yelich blasted a hit into the gap between the center and right fielder, Granderson took off and rounded the bases ahead of Yelich, sliding into home plate just before the tag. Had Granderson been tagged out at home, Yelich would not have been credited with the triple he needed to complete the cycle.
Here's a video of the play:
According to MLB's Statcast, Yelich ran a full foot-per-second faster than his season average on the play, but he still gave props to Granderson for putting in extra hustle:
"I think all the credit goes to Grandy on that one for scoring," Yelich said. "If he doesn't score, it's not a triple."
It's no wonder that Yelich's historic evening catapulted him to the center of the National League MVP conversation. Since the All-Star break, the 26-year-old has hit .355/.417/.733 and led the Major Leagues in hits during that span. Combined with his formidable defense in the outfield, the Yelich has helped to transform Milwaukee into a bona fide playoff contender.
But when it comes to making MLB history, Yelich was just as stunned as everybody else.
"The ball was in the air, and you're kind of thinking 'No way did that just happen again,' and it did," Yelich said. "I have no idea how to describe what that feels like, but it was pretty awesome."