63-593: Melvin Thomas Ott (March 2, 1909 – November 21, 1958), nicknamed " Master Melvin ", was an American professional baseball right fielder , who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Giants , from 1926 through 1947 . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Though unusually slight in stature for a power hitter, at 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m), 170 pounds (77 kg), Ott led
126-663: A Most Valuable Player (MVP) award; Jimmie Foxx in 1933, Ted Williams in 1946, Mickey Mantle in 1957, and both Mookie Betts and Christian Yelich in 2018. Three players — John Olerud , Michael Cuddyer , and Bob Watson — have hit for the cycle in both the National League and American League. Three family pairs have hit for the cycle; father and son Gary Ward (1980) and Daryle Ward (2004), grandfather and grandson Gus Bell (1951) and David Bell (2004), and father and son Craig Biggio (2002) and Cavan Biggio (2019). Two players have hit cycles both for and against
189-501: A grand slam as the home run of the cycle. Hiroshi Ohshita and Kazuhiko Kondo are the only two players to have hit a walk-off home run to win the game as the final hit of their cycles. Ochoa's cycle with the Chunichi Dragons on April 13, 2004, made him the first (and to date, only) player to hit a cycle in both MLB and NPB. He had previously accomplished the feat on July 3, 1996, while playing for MLB's New York Mets . There
252-590: A home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League Baseball (MLB), having occurred fewer than 400 times since 1882. The most recent cycle in MLB was accomplished by Weston Wilson of the Philadelphia Phillies on August 15, 2024. The cycle is about as uncommon as a no-hitter ; it has been called "one of the rarest" and "most difficult feats" in baseball. Based on 2009 offensive levels,
315-492: A .349 average. By the time Ott reached the age of 25, he had accumulated 1,249 hits, the second highest total for a 25-year-old in MLB history, behind only Ty Cobb (1,433). Ott was a six-time NL home run leader, in 1932, 1934, 1936–1938, and 1942. From 1928 through 1945, he led the New York Giants in home runs. This 18-season consecutive dominance is a record; no other player has ever led his team in more consecutive years in
378-432: A .533 slugging percentage . Defensively, he recorded a .974 fielding percentage . He hit better than .300 10 times in his major league career. At the time of his retirement, he had hit 200 more home runs than the next-highest National Leaguer. After longtime teammate Bill Terry retired as manager in 1941, he named Ott as player-manager . Ott continued as a regular player for another five years, and remained productive at
441-457: A 257-foot (78 m) foul line at the Polo Grounds resulted in higher numbers at home. Sportswriters often jokingly referred to him as the master of the " Chinese home run " as such short homers were called at the time; Ott would often respond by noting that if it was so easy to inflate his homer totals by hitting over that fence, all other hitters in the league would be doing it. As a balance,
504-468: A batted ball that does not leave the field of play; this is called an inside-the-park home run . Inside-the-park home runs are rare, and no player has hit one as part of a cycle since 1943. The most career cycles hit by an MLB player is three, accomplished by six players: All of Beltré's cycles occurred at Globe Life Park in Arlington ; he is the only player to hit for the cycle with different teams in
567-498: A black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. Hitting for the cycle In baseball , hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single , a double , a triple , and
630-467: A fly ball. The injury effectively ended his career; he only appeared in 29 more games for the rest of 1946, and retired after making only four cameo appearances in 1947. He stayed on as manager until Leo Durocher replaced him midway through the 1948 season. The Giants' best finish during Ott's tenure was third place in 1942, one of only three times he finished with a winning record. However, his 1943 and 1944 teams were decimated by World War II , which saw
693-428: A gifted athlete, especially in baseball. During high school, he played on a semi-pro team three or four days a week. He already showed considerable power at a young age and was getting paid for it. His team had a tradition of passing the hat whenever a player hit a home run that figured in a victory, meaning Ott was taking home money for playing baseball as early as 14. Despite his power, Ott's hometown minor league team,
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#1732884172289756-524: A hospital in New Orleans, where he died a week later at the age of 49. He was interred in Metairie Cemetery . Ott died in a similar manner to two other New York Giants Hall of Famers: Frankie Frisch in 1973 and Carl Hubbell in 1988. Ott is remembered in his hometown of Gretna, where a park is named in his honor. Since 1959, the National League has honored the league's annual home run champion with
819-522: A number of established players drafted into the military. It was in reference to Ott's supposedly easy-going managing style that then-Dodgers manager Durocher made the oft-quoted and somewhat out-of-context comment, "Nice guys finish last!" Ott was the first manager to be ejected from both games of a doubleheader , when the Giants lost both games to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 9, 1946. Ott spent
882-408: A part-time player, he became the regular right fielder in 1929 at the age of 20. He didn't disappoint, hitting .328 in 150 games while setting career highs in home runs (42) and RBI (151)—both records for players who were 20 years old or younger at the start of the season. Ott's 1929 batting average of .328 is his second highest season average for a full-time player trailing only his 1930 campaign with
945-402: A single Triple Crown category. He was both the youngest player to hit 100 home runs and the first National Leaguer to hit 500 home runs. He passed Rogers Hornsby to become the all-time NL home run leader in 1937 and held that title until Willie Mays passed him in 1966 . Ott was noted for reaching base via the base on balls (BB) , or walk. He drew five walks in a game three times. He set
1008-568: A train ticket to New York. Ott arrived in New York in early September. He quickly impressed observers with his hitting, especially McGraw, who predicted that he would be "one of the greatest lefthand hitters the National League has ever seen." He formally signed Ott to a contract in January 1926. Ott had originally been a catcher, but McGraw concluded that Ott was too small to be a major league catcher and converted him into an outfielder. After two years as
1071-408: Is Earl Webb , the left-handed outfielder who hit 67 in 1931. The triple , in which the batter reaches third base without being put out and without the benefit of a fielding error, is the "hardest part of a cycle" to complete. Triples are often hit to the same areas as doubles, but may require impressive speed by the runner. It is rare to see a player with slower-than-average running speed complete
1134-507: Is also remembered in the name of the Little League of Amherst, New York. The Mel Ott Little League began in 1959, named for Ott soon after his death. Ott's name frequently appears in crossword puzzles , on account of its letter combination and brevity. Ott is mentioned in the poem " Line-Up for Yesterday " by Ogden Nash , first published in Sport magazine in January 1949: O is for Ott Of
1197-456: Is also the league's all-time hit leader . The single-season leader in singles is Ichiro Suzuki , who broke Willie Keeler 's 106-year-old record in 2004 by notching 225, 19 more than the previous record. None of the top five players in singles (Rose, Ty Cobb , Eddie Collins , Cap Anson , and Keeler) in MLB history have hit for the cycle; of those five, only Rose had more than 150 home runs, and two (Collins and Keeler), who both played during
1260-586: Is one of only six National League players to spend a 20+ year career with one team ( Cap Anson , Stan Musial , Willie Stargell , Tony Gwynn , and Craig Biggio being the others). In 1999, Ott was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team . That same year, The Sporting News placed Ott at number 42 on its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". In 2020, The Athletic ranked Ott at number 32 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter Joe Posnanski . Ott spent
1323-641: Is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in the other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with
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#17328841722891386-421: Is the only player to hit for the cycle in an NPB All-Star game , doing so in game 2 of the 1992 series . Inaba is the only player to hit for the cycle in a rain-shortened game —after hitting a triple in the first inning and hitting a home run in the fourth, Inaba collected the other two necessary hits in a seven-run fifth inning when the order batted around. Kosuke Fukudome is the only NPB player to have hit
1449-721: The Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and
1512-651: The National League in home runs a then-record six times. He was an All-Star for 11 consecutive seasons, and was the first National League player to surpass 500 career home runs. Ott was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951. Ott was born in Gretna, Louisiana , a suburb of New Orleans . He was a second cousin of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Baton Rouge , Stanley Joseph Ott . Despite his average height, he quickly established himself as
1575-538: The New Orleans Pelicans , refused to sign him because of concerns about his size. He then found a job at a lumber company in Patterson , near Morgan City , where he became a sensation on the company baseball team. Company owner Henry Williams was particularly impressed with Ott. While visiting New York, he suggested that Giants manager John McGraw give him a tryout. Ott was skeptical at first, so Williams bought Ott
1638-598: The Osaka Tigers ), Hiromi Matsunaga (both with the Hankyu/Orix Braves ), and Kosuke Fukudome (one with the Chunichi Dragons , and one with the Hanshin Tigers ). Fujimura is also the only player to have hit a cycle during both the single league era and the current dual league era. The 2003 NPB season saw the most cycles hit in a single season—five. That season also saw the only instance of cycles occurring on
1701-701: The Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues, the China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During
1764-461: The dead-ball era , had fewer than 50, lessening the probability of their completing the cycle. A double is a hit in which the batter reaches second base without being put out and without the benefit of a fielding error. This scenario often occurs when a ball is hit into the gaps between the outfielders or down the foul line on either side of the playing field. Tris Speaker is the all-time leader in doubles in MLB history with 792, one of which
1827-413: The "batter becomes a runner when he hits a fair ball ". The single —in which the batter reaches first base without being put out, and without the benefit of a fielding error —is the most common type of hit in baseball: for example, there were 25,838 singles hit during the 1988 MLB season , compared to 6,386 doubles , 840 triples , or 3,180 home runs . The MLB leader in singles is Pete Rose , who
1890-614: The 1953 and 1954 seasons out of baseball for the first time since coming to New York in 1925. In 1955, he joined the Mutual radio network to recreate baseball games. From 1956 to 1958, Ott teamed with Van Patrick to broadcast the games of the Detroit Tigers on radio and television. Ott was injured in an auto accident in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi , in November 1958. He was transferred to
1953-449: The Cubs. TIMMY: To the Cubs. JOHN: Sixteen to three. TIMMY: I'm still glad we went. JOHN: So am I. That was a beautiful catch Ott made. TIMMY: Yes. JOHN: For a moment I thought he lost it in the sun. Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It
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2016-708: The Mel Ott Award. In the 1989 film Field of Dreams , Ott was one of several deceased players portrayed in farmer Ray Kinsella's Iowa cornfield. In 2006, Ott was featured on a United States postage stamp , as one of a block of four honoring "Baseball Sluggers" — the others being Mickey Mantle , Hank Greenberg , and Roy Campanella . In announcing the stamps, the U.S. Postal Service stated, "Remembered as powerful hitters who wowed fans with awesome and often record-breaking home runs, these four men were also versatile players who helped to lead their teams to victory and set impressive standards for subsequent generations." Ott
2079-475: The National League record for most walks in a doubleheader, with six, on October 5, 1929, and did it again on April 30, 1944. He tied an MLB record by drawing a walk in seven consecutive plate appearances (June 16–18, 1943). He also led the NL in walks six times: in 1929, 1931–1933, 1937, and 1942. He twice scored six runs in a game, on August 4, 1934, and on April 30, 1944. He is the youngest major leaguer to ever hit for
2142-528: The Polo Grounds had the deepest power alleys in baseball. Also, Ott hit more career home runs in foreign stadiums than any other National League hitter at the time of his retirement. In some of his better seasons, he hit more homers on the road than in the Polo Grounds. There may be reason to believe that he was a better hitter than his record suggests because of differences in National League and American League ball specifications. Those differences are considered
2205-462: The United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ") is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of
2268-791: The World Series in 1933, 1936, and 1937, winning in 1933. He hit two home runs during the 1933 World Series . In Game 1, he had four hits, including a two-run home run in the first inning. In Game 5, he drove in the series-winning run with two outs in the top of the 10th, driving a pitch into the center-field bleachers. In the 1936 World Series , Ott had seven hits and one home run. In 1937, he had four hits and one home run. Playing in 16 World Series games, Ott batted .295 (18-for-61) with eight runs, four home runs and 10 RBI. In his 22-season career, Ott batted .304 with 511 home runs , 1,860 RBI , 1,859 runs , 2,876 hits , 488 doubles , 72 triples , 89 stolen bases , 1,708 BB , .414 on-base percentage and
2331-547: The advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in
2394-491: The cycle . Ott was the first NL player to post eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons, and only Willie Mays , Sammy Sosa , Chipper Jones , and Albert Pujols have since joined him. He used a batting style that was then considered unorthodox, lifting his forward (right) foot prior to impact. When McGraw first saw Ott's style, he called it "the most natural swing I've seen in years. Alvin Dark said that Ott "lifted his lead foot right off
2457-495: The cycle in 1910, two years before he hit for a record 36 triples in a single season. A home run is a hit in which the batter reaches home plate, scoring a run on the same play without being put out, and without the benefit of a fielding error. Most often in modern baseball, this occurs when the batter hits the ball over the outfield wall in fair territory. Home-run hitters are commonly believed to be larger, slower players due to their strength, and may not be fast enough to complete
2520-471: The cycle in 1948. The most recent player to hit for the cycle with an inside-the-park home run was Leon Culberson in 1943. The earliest in a game that a cycle has been completed is the fourth inning, accomplished by Mike Lansing of the Colorado Rockies on June 18, 2000, when he had a first-inning triple, second-inning homer, third-inning double, and fourth-inning single. Four batters hit for
2583-526: The cycle in the same season in which they won the Triple Crown ; Nap Lajoie (AL, 1901), Jimmie Foxx (AL, 1933), Chuck Klein (NL, 1933), and Lou Gehrig (AL, 1934). Gehrig is the only player to complete the MLB Triple Crown in his cycle-hitting season, leading both leagues in batting average , home runs, and runs batted in . Five players have hit for the cycle in the same season in which they won
Mel Ott - Misplaced Pages Continue
2646-488: The cycle on five pitches, the smallest number since at least 1900. During his eight seasons playing for the Yokohama BayStars , Bobby Rose hit for three cycles, the most of any Nippon Professional Baseball player. Spaced two seasons apart, his first cycle occurred on May 2, 1995, the next on April 29, 1997, and his final cycle on June 30, 1999. Three NPB players have hit for the cycle twice; Fumio Fujimura (both with
2709-776: The cycle on the same day once in NPB history; this has occurred twice in MLB history. There have never been multiple cycles completed in a single MLB or NPB game; this is known to have occurred twice in Minor League Baseball : on April 11, 2018, by Gio Brusa and Jalen Miller of the Class A-Advanced San Jose Giants , and on August 7, 2018, by Kevin Newman and Jacob Stallings of the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians . Under Major League Baseball Rule 6.09(a),
2772-436: The cycle, but it has happened, such as when catcher Bengie Molina hit for the cycle on July 16, 2010; Molina described himself as "the [slowest] guy in baseball" earlier that season. The MLB all-time leader in triples is Sam Crawford , with 309; he never hit for the cycle. Of the top five players in MLB history in triples, two have hit for the cycle: Honus Wagner in 1912 and Roger Connor in 1890. Chief Wilson hit for
2835-542: The game in which they hit their cycle. Only three of these—by Larry Twitchell , Sam Thompson , and Ian Kinsler —were accomplished in a nine-inning game in the American League or National League. † indicates an extra-innings game (Yelich collected his six hits in the first nine innings of a 10-inning game.) Kinsler's six-hit cycle came on Jackie Robinson Day , honoring the African-American pioneer who had hit for
2898-408: The greatest in the history of the game and made it considerably harder for National League hitters to achieve home runs. Ott was also a skilled fielder. He was a master at playing balls that bounced off the fences at the Polo Grounds, allowing him to garner 26 assists in 1929, his first full season as a full-time player. He would never even approach that figure again, as baserunners quickly realized it
2961-566: The ground like he was getting ready to kick at a dog". This style helped him hit for power. More recent players who used a similar style include Harold Baines and Kirby Puckett , as well as the Japanese home run king, Sadaharu Oh . In 1943, all of his 18 home runs came at home; only two other players ever had a greater number of all-homefield home runs. Of Ott's 511 career home runs, 323 of them, or 63%, came at home. Because of this, his home run record historically has been downplayed, suggesting that
3024-460: The hits come in order from fewest to most total bases (single, double, triple, home run), has been accomplished 15 times in MLB history: The natural cycle has been accomplished in reverse (home run, triple, double, single)—also known as an "unnatural" cycle—ten times: Nine players have hit a grand slam as part of their cycle: Six players have had a walk-off home run as the final hit of their cycles: Ten players have collected six hits in
3087-590: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with the major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at
3150-407: The plate for much of that time. In 1942, he led the league in home runs (30), runs scored (118), and walks (109). He finished second in home runs (26) and third in slugging percentage (.544) in 1944. In 1945, he hit .308 and finished tied for fourth in home runs (21). On the second day of the 1946 season, a day after hitting what would be his final career home run, he injured his knee while diving for
3213-528: The probability of an average MLB player hitting for a cycle against an average team in a game is about 0.0059%; this corresponds to about 2 1 ⁄ 2 cycles in a 162-game season with 30 teams. The most cycles hit in a single major league season is eight, which occurred in both 1933 and 2009. In other baseball leagues, the cycle is achieved less frequently. Through June 2022, there have been 76 cycles hit in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB),
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#17328841722893276-703: The remaining two-and-a-half years of his contract helping his former teammate Carl Hubbell run the Giants' farm system. In 1951, Ott succeeded Chuck Dressen as manager of the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League , leading the club to an 80–88 record and seventh-place finish. In 1952, the Oaks finished 104–76 under Ott, good for second place in the PCL. Ott was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951 with 87.2% of
3339-464: The restless right foot. When he leaned on the pellet, The pellet stayed put. Ott is mentioned in Frank D. Gilroy's 1964 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “The Subject was Roses” near the beginning of Act 1, Scene 2, when John and Timmy have just returned home from a 1946 Giants vs. Cubs game. JOHN: What'll we drink to? TIMMY: The Chicago Cubs. JOHN: Think it'll help them? TIMMY: Can it hurt? JOHN: To
3402-491: The same ballpark. All of Yelich's cycles were hit against the Cincinnati Reds ; he is the only player to hit for the cycle three times against the same team. Forty-four players have hit for the cycle at least twice. Five have hit for the cycle twice in one season: One player has hit for the cycle twice against the same team in one season: Christian Yelich against the Cincinnati Reds in 2018. Cycles have occurred on
3465-607: The same day twice in MLB history; on September 17, 1920, by Bobby Veach of the Detroit Tigers and George Burns of the New York Giants ; and on September 1, 2008, by the Arizona Diamondbacks ' Stephen Drew and the Seattle Mariners ' Adrián Beltré . The longest period of time between two players hitting for the cycle was 5 years, 1 month, and 10 days, a drought lasting from Bill Joyce 's cycle in 1896 to Harry Davis 's in 1901. The natural cycle, in which
3528-691: The same day: on July 1, hit by Atsunori Inaba of the Yakult Swallows and Arihito Muramatsu of the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks . The next day, Shinjiro Hiyama became the third player to hit for the cycle in two days. Conversely, the longest period of time between two players hitting for the cycle was 5 years, 11 months, and 30 days, a drought lasting from Michihiro Ogasawara 's cycle in 2008 to Rainel Rosario 's in 2014. The natural cycle has been accomplished five times in NPB history. Fumio Fujimura's second cycle on May 25, 1950,
3591-673: The same team; Joe Cronin against (1929) and for (1940) the Red Sox, and Adrián Beltré against (2008) and for (2012, 2015) the Rangers. One player, Brock Holt of the Boston Red Sox , hit for the cycle in a postseason game: Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS , on October 8, 2018, against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium . On September 19, 2021, Eddie Rosario of the Atlanta Braves hit for
3654-562: The top-level baseball organization in Japan , most recently by Yasutaka Shiomi on September 18, 2021. One NPB player, Atsuya Furuta , has hit for the cycle in an NPB All-Star game . No player has ever hit for the cycle in the MLB All-Star Game . One MLB player has hit for the cycle in a postseason game: Brock Holt of the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS . Two players have hit for
3717-475: The triple. The MLB single-season and all-time leader in home runs is Barry Bonds , who hit 73 home runs in the 2001 season and notched 762 in his 22-season career. Bonds never hit for the cycle. Among the MLB leaders in career home runs , the highest-ranking player with a cycle is Alex Rodriguez (fifth all-time; retired in 2016 with 696 home runs), who hit for the cycle on June 5, 1997. Home runs can also occur on
3780-433: The vote. His number "4" was also retired by the Giants in 1949 , and it is posted on the facade of the upper deck in the left field corner of Oracle Park . He was a National League All-Star for 12 consecutive seasons, from 1934 through 1945 (All-Star selections only began in 1933; Ott had at least three All-Star caliber seasons prior to that, as well as in 1945, when MLB cancelled the 1945 contest and selections). He
3843-453: Was far too risky to run on balls hit in Ott's direction. During the prime of Ott's career, 11 seasons from 1931 to 1941, American League batters averaged 21% more home runs—peaking at 41% more home runs—than their National League counterparts. Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx , contemporaries, and both American League players, were the only batters to surpass Ott's record during this time. Ott played in
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#17328841722893906-446: Was part of a cycle; Speaker accomplished the feat for the Boston Red Sox on June 9, 1912, against the St. Louis Browns . Two of the other top five players in MLB history in doubles have hit for the cycle: Stan Musial (725 doubles; third all-time) completed the cycle on July 24, 1949; and Craig Biggio (668; fifth all-time) accomplished the feat on April 8, 2002. The single-season MLB leader
3969-442: Was the first time a player collected the hits in order. On average, the natural cycle occurs approximately every 13 years. Other than Fujimura, the four players to hit for the natural cycle are Kazuhiko Kondo in 1961, Takahiro Tokutsu in 1976, Takanori Okamura in 1985, and Muramatsu in 2003. The natural cycle has been accomplished in reverse by Alex Ochoa (2004) and Rosario (2014). Yakult Swallows catcher Atsuya Furuta
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