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We need to appreciate Christian Yelich’s cycle a lot more than we are

By David Salituro

CINCINNATI, OH - AUGUST 29: Christian Yelich #22 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates after hitting a tripple in the 7th inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 29, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - AUGUST 29: Christian Yelich #22 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates after hitting a tripple in the 7th inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 29, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Christian Yelich had himself a night in Cincinnati, hitting for the cycle to go along with six hits in Milwaukee’s 13-12 extra-inning win over the Reds on Tuesday.

Christian Yelich did it all for the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old became the eighth player in Brewers history to hit for the cycle, part of a six-hit night that propelled the Brewers to a 13-12 extra-inning win in Cincinnati.

Yelich began the game with a single up the middle off Reds starter Matt Harvey in the first. He hit a two-run home run off Harvey in the fifth and doubled to left-center in the sixth. Then, with the Brewers trailing 10-9 in the seventh, Yelich tripled to right to drive in the tying run and complete the historic feat.

Yelich is the first Brewer to hit for the cycle since George Kottaras in 2011. With two infield singles, he also became the first since Ian Kinsler in 2009 to have six hits as part of a cycle, and the first Brewer with six hits since 2013. He also contributed on the field, throwing out the potential go-ahead run at home in the bottom of the seventh.

In one sense, it was hard to see Yelich’s historic night coming. Rain washed away batting practice and delayed the first pitch for 27 minutes, forcing him to change his pregame routine.

“In the cage today, it was a zoo. We didn’t have any [batting practice] on the field today,” Yelich said after the game. “You do your flip routine. It was just one of those days where it was not it.”

“Baseball is a crazy game that way. Things that you don’t really expect to happen in the this game happen. It was one of those nights.”

In another way, however, Yelich’s great night is no surprise. The slugger, acquired as part of the Miami Marlins fire sale in the offseason, is in the midst of the most productive stretch of his career. He now has seven home runs in his last 10 games, and has gone deep six times in the same number of games. The homer off Harvey in the fifth was his 26th of the season. His previous career high was 21 with Miami in 2016.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell was in disbelief at what Yelich did out on the field in leading his team to victory. “I’ve never seen a game like that, it was incredible,” Counsell said. “He’s coming up there and you’re thinking he can’t do it again, and he does it again. He did everything tonight, he really did.”

The win comes at an important time for the Brewers. They trail the Chicago Cubs by five games in the NL Central, but hold a one-game lead over Colorado for the second NL Wild Card spot. Yelich is the first to admit that the win overshadows any personal accomplishment.

“I mean, the win, honestly, is the biggest thing,” he said. “Especially for us at this point in the season, they all matter.”

Yelich is the second player to hit for the cycle in the majors this season. Mookie Betts did it for Boston on Aug. 9. Like Betts in the American League, Yelich has vaulted himself near the top of potential NL MVPs. He leads the NL with a .319 batting average to go with his 26 homers and 75 RBI.

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