Christian Yelich on Monday night became the fifth major leaguer to hit for the cycle twice in the same season, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to an 8-0 victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds.
Left-hander Wade Miley (5-2) lowered his ERA to 2.08 with five shutout innings for the Brewers (86-65), who remained 2-1/2 games behind the first-place Cubs (88-62) in the National League Central. Chicago beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 on Monday night.
Yelich hit for the cycle on Aug. 29 during a 6-for-6 performance, also against the Reds. On Monday, he singled in the first inning, doubled in the third, hit a two-run home run in the fifth and lashed a two-run triple in the sixth, completing the cycle in just four plate appearances.
Photo: AP
The last major leaguer to have two cycles in the same season was Aaron Hill of the Diamondbacks in 2012. The only others to have a pair of cycles in the same year were John Reilly (1883, Reds), Tip O’Neill (1887, St Louis Brown Stockings) and Babe Herman (1931, Brooklyn Robins) — but no one had done it twice against the same team in one season before Monday.
Yelich’s cycle was the third in the major leagues this season, with Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox recording the first on Aug. 9 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Only three active major leaguers have two or more career cycles, with Adrian Beltre leading the way with three. Carlos Gomez has two.
Yelich left the game for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, finishing 4-for-4. His home run was his 31st of the season.
Domingo Santana led off the fifth inning with a pinch-hit home run, his fifth of the season, and Orlando Arcia ignited a four-run sixth with an RBI double, helping the Brewers snap a two-game losing streak.
Miley, who began the night with the third-best ERA in the National League among all pitchers with 10 or more starts, scattered five hits. He struck out two and did not walk a batter.
Josh Hader struck out all three batters that he faced in the sixth inning before Brandon Woodruff worked the final three innings, allowing three hits, for his first save.
The shutout was the Brewers’ 12th of the season.
Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani (7-6) was pulled after five innings, having allowed four runs and seven hits. He walked two and struck out five.
Curtis Granderson scored three times and Travis Shaw collected two hits for the Brewers, who improved to 12-5 against the Reds this season.
Curt Casali had two hits for the Reds, who lost for the fourth time in their past five games.
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