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Bleday hits for Reds' 1st cycle since 2023
JJ Bleday hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats, powering the Cincinnati Reds to an 11-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the Reds' first cycle since 2023, and Elly De La Cruz fell a triple short of becoming the first teammates to both hit for the cycle in the same game.
JJ Bleday of the Cincinnati Reds hit for the cycle on Saturday night, doing so in his first four at-bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 28-year-old left fielder doubled in the first inning, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth, and homered in the sixth off Arizona's Zack Littell, completing the feat in just six innings.
The home run was Bleday's 21st of the season, surpassing his previous career high of 20 with the Athletics in 2024. According to the New York Post, Bleday signed a one-year, $1.4 million deal with Cincinnati in December after being non-tendered by Oakland.
The cycle was the first for the Reds since Elly De La Cruz accomplished the feat on June 23, 2023, against Atlanta. theScore noted it was the 12th in franchise history, while the Associated Press reported it as the eighth cycle in Reds history dating to 1890.
Bleday became the fourth player in Major League Baseball to hit for the cycle this season, joining Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs, Bryce Harper of the Phillies, and Tristan Peters of the White Sox, as reported by multiple outlets.
A Near-Miss for the History Books
The Reds nearly produced a feat never before seen in MLB history. Elly De La Cruz, who had four hits on the night, finished a triple shy of his second career cycle. According to the New York Post and Yardbarker, if De La Cruz had completed the cycle, the Reds would have become the first team in MLB history to have two teammates hit for the cycle in the same game.
De La Cruz did, however, hit a 450-foot home run in the fifth inning, his 21st of the season. He had also doubled in his first at-bat, as the Associated Press detailed.
Reds' Offense Explodes
The Reds' 11-5 victory was powered by a 16-hit attack. Bleday's double in the first came off Arizona starter Michael Soroka, who was chased after 3 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on six hits. Sports Illustrated highlighted how the Reds worked counts against Soroka, who threw 84 pitches, only 50 for strikes.
Rookie Héctor Rodríguez added his first career home run in the seventh inning, and Matt McLain also homered, his 13th of the season. The Reds scored runs in multiple innings, including a five-run fourth that broke the game open.
Rhett Lowder (5-8) earned the win, allowing four runs in six innings. Luis Mey pitched a scoreless seventh, extending his scoreless streak since promotion to 9 2/3 innings, according to Sports Illustrated. Tony Santillan allowed a run in his return from the injured list.
Diamondbacks' Bright Spots
Despite the loss, the Diamondbacks had several notable performances. Nolan Arenado hit his 21st home run, and Tim Tawa added his eighth. Gabriel Moreno extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a ninth-inning double, as reported by the Associated Press.
Looking Ahead
The Reds, now 62-68 and 7 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot, face the Diamondbacks in the series finale on Sunday. Andrew Abbott (6-8) is scheduled to start against Arizona's Mitch Bratt (1-2), as noted by the Associated Press.
How each outlet told it
Associated Press
Framing: Headline emphasizes both Bleday's cycle and De La Cruz's four hits, framing the game as a team offensive performance. — Neutral and factual, typical of AP wire reporting, with no emotional language.
Facts Included:
Bleday hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats, De La Cruz also had four hits, and the Reds won 11-5
Bleday doubled in a run off Michael Soroka in the first, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth, and homered in the sixth
The home run was Bleday's 21st of the season, surpassing his previous career high of 20
De La Cruz needed a triple but settled for a four-hit game including a 450-foot homer
De La Cruz had the previous Cincinnati cycle in 2023
Crow-Armstrong, Harper, and Peters also have cycles this season
Rookie Héctor Rodríguez added his first career homer
Rhett Lowder (5-8) allowed four runs in six innings
Matt McLain also homered for Cincinnati, his 13th
Nolan Arenado hit his 21st homer and Tim Tawa his eighth for Arizona
Soroka (8-4) gave up six hits and six runs in 3 1/3 innings
Gabriel Moreno extended his hitting streak to 15 games
Andrew Abbott and Mitch Bratt are scheduled to start Sunday
Framing: Headline highlights the cycle accomplishment and timeframe, omitting the game outcome. — Objective and celebratory, notably listing other cycles this season.
Facts Included:
Bleday hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats against the Diamondbacks
Bleday doubled in first, tripled in third, singled in fourth, homered in sixth
The home run was his 21st of the season, surpassing his previous career high
Bleday is the first Reds player to hit for a cycle since Elly De La Cruz in 2023
Framing: Headline highlights the cycle accomplishment and the specific timeframe (first 4 at-bats), omitting the game outcome. — Objective and celebratory, notably listing other cycles this season.
Facts Included:
Bleday hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats against the Diamondbacks
Bleday doubled in the first, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth, homered in the sixth
The home run was his 21st of the season, surpassing his previous career high of 20
Bleday is the first Reds player to hit for a cycle since Elly De La Cruz in 2023
There were three previous cycles in the majors this year, including Crow-Armstrong, Harper, and Peters
Framing: Headline focuses on Bleday's home run completing the cycle in a blowout win, emphasizing the individual achievement within a team victory. — Conversational and slightly narrative, with phrases like 'barely scraped over the wall' and 'history books'.
Facts Included:
Bleday hit for the cycle in just six innings to lead the Reds to an 11-5 blowout win
Bleday doubled in the first inning to drive in De La Cruz, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth, and homered in the sixth
Bleday's home run was his 21st of the season, second on the team behind Stewart
Bleday signed a one-year, $1.4 million deal in December after being non-tendered by the Athletics
De La Cruz went 4-for-6 and finished a triple shy of his second career cycle
The duo would have been the first teammates in MLB history to hit for the cycle in the same game
Bleday leads the Reds in walks and is third in RBIs despite playing the first month in Triple-A
Framing: Headline emphasizes Bleday's 'historic night' powering the Reds to a win, focusing on the team's offensive explosion rather than the individual cycle alone. — Celebratory and enthusiastic, as seen in phrases like 'offensive onslaught' and 'electric stuff'.
Facts Included:
Reds beat Diamondbacks 11-5 on Saturday night
Bleday hit for the cycle in the Reds' 11-5 win
Bleday doubled in the first, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth, homered in the sixth
Bleday's home run was his 21st of the season, a career high
The Reds chased Diamondbacks starter Mike Soroka after 3 1/3 innings, allowing six earned runs
Elly De La Cruz hit a 450-foot home run in the fifth inning
Rookie Hector Rodriguez hit his first career home run in the seventh
Matt McLain homered in the eighth
Reds scored 11 runs on 16 hits, including two four-hit performances (De La Cruz and Bleday)
Rhett Lowder pitched six innings, allowing three earned runs, for the win
Luis Mey pitched a scoreless seventh inning, extending his scoreless streak to 9 2/3 innings since promotion
Tony Santillan returned from the injured list, allowing a run in one inning
The Reds are 62-68, 7 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot
Andrew Abbott is scheduled to start Sunday against Mitch Bratt
Framing: Headline emphasizes the cycle being the Reds' first since 2023, placing it in franchise history context. — Celebratory and appreciative of the achievement, with a slight emphasis on the team's investment paying off.
Facts Included:
Bleday hit for the cycle against the Diamondbacks on Saturday
Bleday came to bat in the sixth needing a home run and did it off Zack Littell
Bleday hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats
It was his first four-hit game of the season
It's the Reds' first cycle since Elly De La Cruz in 2023, and the 12th in franchise history
Bleday is the fourth player to hit for the cycle this season, joining Crow-Armstrong, Harper, and Peters
The Reds signed Bleday to a one-year, $1.4-million deal in December
Framing: Headline highlights the cycle accomplishment and the timeframe, omitting the game outcome. — Objective and celebratory, notably listing other cycles this season.
Facts Included:
Bleday hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats against the Diamondbacks
Bleday doubled in the first, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth, homered in the sixth
The home run was his 21st of the season, surpassing his previous career high of 20
Bleday is the first Reds player to hit for a cycle since Elly De La Cruz in 2023
There were three previous cycles in the majors this year, including Crow-Armstrong, Harper, and Peters
Framing: Headline emphasizes both Bleday's cycle and De La Cruz's four hits, framing the game as a team offensive performance. — Neutral and factual, typical of AP wire reporting, with no emotional language.
Facts Included:
Bleday hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats, De La Cruz also had four hits, and the Reds won 11-5
Bleday doubled in a run off Michael Soroka in the first, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth, and homered in the sixth
The home run was Bleday's 21st of the season, surpassing his previous career high of 20
De La Cruz needed a triple but settled for a four-hit game including a 450-foot homer
De La Cruz had the previous Cincinnati cycle in 2023
Crow-Armstrong, Harper, and Peters also have cycles this season
Rookie Héctor Rodríguez added his first career homer
Rhett Lowder (5-8) allowed four runs in six innings
Matt McLain also homered for Cincinnati, his 13th
Nolan Arenado hit his 21st homer and Tim Tawa his eighth for Arizona
Soroka (8-4) gave up six hits and six runs in 3 1/3 innings
Gabriel Moreno extended his hitting streak to 15 games
Andrew Abbott and Mitch Bratt are scheduled to start Sunday
Framing: Headline emphasizes Bleday's cycle being the fourth in MLB this season, placing the achievement in a league-wide context. — Narrative and somewhat speculative, focusing on the 'what if' of a potential double cycle, with phrases like 'nearly had two cycles'.
Facts Included:
Bleday hit for the cycle in the Reds' win over the Diamondbacks
Bleday became the fourth player this season to hit for the cycle, joining Crow-Armstrong, Peters, and Harper
Bleday is the first Reds player to hit for a cycle since Elly De La Cruz in 2023
Bleday's home run was his 21st of the season, a new career high
Bleday's 10 total bases were a career high
De La Cruz finished a triple shy of a second cycle
The Reds would have been the first team in MLB history to have two teammates hit for the cycle in the same game
Bleday was expected to be a top seller at the trade deadline but was not traded
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimJJ Bleday hit for the cycle against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night, doing so in his first four at-bats.
ClaimBleday was the fourth player in Major League Baseball to hit for the cycle this season, joining Pete Crow-Armstrong, Bryce Harper, and Tristan Peters.
ClaimIf De La Cruz had completed the cycle, the Reds would have become the first team in MLB history to have two teammates hit for the cycle in the same game.
8 outlets · 9 articles consulted: Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WDIV ClickOnDetroit, New York Post, Sports Illustrated, theScore, TSN, Yardbarker27 claims extractedVersion 5Written 2026-08-23