In baseball, completing the cycle is the accomplishment of hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game.[1] Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle", which has occurred two times in KBO League. The cycle itself is rare in KBO, occurring 31 times since 's first cycle in 1982, the first season of KBO League. In terms of frequency within the KBO league, it is a record that is more frequent than no-hitter (19 times in KBO history). Of the 10 current KBO League teams, only the SSG Landers have never had at least one player hit for the cycle.
The most cycles hit by a player in KBO League is two, accomplished by Yang Joon-hyuk and Eric Thames. Playing for the Samsung Lions, Yang hit his first cycle on August 23, 1996, and the next on April 15, 2003. And Thames became the first player in KBO League history to hit for the cycle two times in a season, by hiiting for the cycle on April 9 and August 11 in the 2015 season.[2] is the only player to have hit a grand slam as the home run of the cycle.[3]
The 2016 and 2017 seasons saw the most cycles hit in a single season—three times. The longest period of time between two players hitting for the cycle is one day shy of 1902 days. The drought has lasted from 's cycle in 1982 until 's in 1987.
| Denotes a natural cycle | ||
| Indicates that a hit required for the cycle was acquired during extra innings | ||
| Number of cycles recorded to that point (if the player recorded more than one) |
| Franchise | Active dates | Cycles hit | Cycles allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| OB Bears / Doosan Bears | 1982 - present | 6 | 3 |
| Samsung Lions | 1982 - present | 5 | 5 |
| Haitai Tigers / KIA Tigers | 1982 - present | 3 | 4 |
| MBC Chungyong / LG Twins | 1982 - present | 3 | 1 |
| Lotte Giants | 1982 - present | 3 | 2 |
| Binggrae Eagles / Hanhwa Eagles | 1986 - present | 3 | 4 |
| SK Wyverns / SSG Landers | 2000 - present | 0 | 0 |
| Woori Heroes / Heroes / Seoul Heroes / Nexen Heroes / Kiwoom Heroes | 2008 - present | 3 | 3 |
| NC Dinos | 2013 - present | 3 | 1 |
| kt wiz | 2015 - present | 1 | 3 |
| Sammi Superstars / Chungbo Pintos / Pacific Dolphins / Hyundai Unicorns | 1982 - 2007 | 1 | 5 |
| Ssangbangwool Raiders | 1991 - 1999 | 0 | 0 |