WASHINGTON — The Colorado Rockies bring out the best in Trea Turner.
On Tuesday, the Washington Nationals shortstop hit for the cycle during an 11-1 win over Colorado, marking the second time in Turner’s career that he has accomplished the feat against the Rockies. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, he’s the third player in MLB history to hit for the cycle multiple times against one team. Fred Clarke of the Pittsburgh Pirates had two cycles against the Cincinnati Reds (1901, 1903), and Christian Yelich did it twice last year, also against Cincinnati.
“It’s almost more funny than anything that I got lucky enough to get all the right hits,” Turner said. “I think it’s kind of a lucky stat, just because you’ve got to put the ball in the right place at the right time. And I ended up doing that.”
Turner led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to center field against Colorado starter Peter Lambert. In the second inning, he hit a grounder off Lambert for a single. Facing Lambert again in the fifth, Turner hit a liner down the right-field line that glanced off Charlie Blackmon‘s glove and rolled into the corner for a triple. After grounding into an inning-ending double play against lefty reliever Sam Howard in the sixth, Turner came up in the seventh against righty Jairo Diaz and laced an RBI double to the gap in right-center field. In doing so, he became the 26th player in major league history to hit for multiple cycles in his career.
“I think any time you can put your name next to somebody else who has done something pretty substantial in this sport, I think it’s a compliment,” said Turner, a 26-year-old speedster who is one cycle shy of matching the four players tied for the record of three career cycles: John Reilly, Babe Herman, Bob Meusal and Adrian Beltre. “It’s a hard game, and to get four hits in one game is hard to do. To have four different ones is, I think, a little bit of luck. But also, at the same time, a little humbling to be with those guys.”
“It’s a feat that doesn’t happen often,” Nats manager Davey Martinez said. “To be able to do it twice — that, to me, is a testament to how good a player Trea really is.”
Turner is the fourth player to complete the cycle this season, joining the Indians’ Jake Bauers, the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani and the Twins’ Jorge Polanco. His previous cycle came on April 25, 2017, at Coors Field. In 18 career games against Colorado, he is batting .386 with 16 extra-base hits.
Of the 10 cycles the Rockies have allowed in their history, Turner’s is the first to be accomplished away from Coors Field.
Earlier this season, Turner missed six weeks due to a fractured right index finger that he suffered as the result of a hit-by-pitch. In 60 games with Washington this season, he’s hitting .286 with eight home runs and 20 stolen bases.