DYK: 10 facts about Freeman's 1st cycle

Atlanta first baseman finishes off feat with single in 11th inning

June 16th, 2016

Freddie Freeman entered the record books Wednesday, hitting for the cycle in Atlanta's 9-8 extra-innings victory over the Reds at Turner Field. Freeman's cycle is the first in the Majors since the Padres' Matt Kemp did it against the Rockies on Aug. 14 last season.
Here's are 10 facts and figures from Freeman's rare feat:
• Freeman is now the seventh player in Braves franchise history to hit for the cycle and the third since the team moved to Atlanta. He's the first to do it since Mark Kotsay on Aug. 14, 2008. The other Braves to accomplish the feat are Albert Hall (1987), Bill Collins (1910 Boston Doves), Johnny Bates (1907 Doves), Duff Cooley (1904 Boston Beaneaters) and Herman Long (1896 Beaneaters).

• Kotsay is the only other player to hit for the cycle at Turner Field. It's possible he and Freeman go down as the only two to ever do so at that ballpark as the team will no longer play its home games there after this season.
• Players who have hit for the cycle
• This was the 12th cycle completed against the Reds since 1913 and the fifth since 2004. The last to do it against Cincinnati was Michael Cuddyer for the Rockies in the second game of a doubleheader on Aug. 17, 2014.
• This was the first cycle at a National League ballpark other than Coors Field since Arizona's Aaron Hill did it at Milwaukee's Miller Park on June 29, 2012. Since then, the last three cycles at NL parks had occurred in Denver.

• Freeman is the first player to hit for the cycle when starting at first base since Aubrey Huff for the Orioles on June 29, 2007.
• Freeman completed his cycle in the 11th inning, becoming the first player to do so in extras since the A's Mark Ellis on June 4, 2007. Ellis collected the last hit he needed, a single, in the 10th, an inning before his A's beat the Red Sox, 5-4, on a walk-off home run.
• Freeman got most of the difficult work out of the way early, collecting his double, triple and home run in regulation, saving his single for extra innings. The last player to cap his cycle with a single was the Rangers' Adrian Beltre on Aug. 24, 2012, vs. Minnesota.

• Freeman's cycle is the 248th in the Majors since 1913. The NL has the slight edge with 125 of those, but Freeman is just the third NL player out of the last 10 to hit for the cycle.
• The last player to record five hits while completing a cycle was the Astros' Brandon Barnes on July 19, 2013. Barnes went 5-for-5 with two singles against Seattle.
• Freeman entered Wednesday with only nine triples in 814 career games. The last player to have fewer triples in at least 250 career games before hitting for the cycle was Bengie Molina on July 16, 2010, for the Rangers (five triples in 1,313 games).