Austin Hays hit for the cycle in only 4 at-bats.
In his first at-bat against Nationals starter Patrick Corbin, Hays started off by fouling away a sinker, then took a four-seamer up the middle for an infield single completing 1/4 of the cycle.
In his second at-bat, Hays got 3 straight sliders from Corbin. He fouled off the first two, then in an 0-2 count he took a slider that hung over the middle of the plate and put it over the new wall in left field at Camden Yards for a solo shot, completing half the cycle.
In his third and final at-bat against starter Patrick Corbin, Hays wasted no time hitting the first pitch which was a center cut sinker that Hays hit off of the right field wall. It bounced away from right fielder Juan Soto allowing Hays to reach third base, completing 3/4 of the cycle.
In Hays fourth at-bat of the game he faced Nationals reliever Steve Cishek. Hays once again got 3 straight sliders in the at-bat, he whiffed on the first one and took the second one for a ball. Then in a 1-1 count Hays got a slider on the outside part of the plate that he pulled over the center fielder’s head and completed his first career cycle by reaching second base.
Hays goes up to the plate looking to hit, he was in the bottom 8% of the league in BB% last season, and is in the bottom 19% this season. His first pitch swing percentage is at a career high of 39.8% this season and is much higher than the league average of 29.3%. His swing percentage is also a career high of 53.4%, once again higher than the league average of 47%. In spite of those high numbers, his whiff percentage of 24.2% this season is still below league average. A cycle for Hays shouldn’t be that surprising given these numbers, and it is definitely possible that the former third round pick accomplishes this feat again at some point in his career.