Cardinals prospect completes historic 'home run cycle'

Chandler Redmond Andrew Jansen/News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

Watch: Cardinals prospect Chandler Redmond completes historic 'home run cycle'

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 8/11/22

A traditional baseball hitting "cycle" involves a player reaching base in a game via a single, a double, a triple and a home run. Cycles are so rare at the highest level that they almost always elicit standing ovations from both home and visiting fans when they do happen.

As noted by Rob Terranova of the MLB website and Matthew Neschis of the New York Post, St. Louis Cardinals infield prospect Chandler Redmond went one massive step further while featuring for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals versus the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Wednesday night. Redmond belted solo, two-run, three-run and grand-slam home runs in what became a 21-4 blowout victory.

No Major Leaguer has ever done what @Cardinals prospect Chandler Redmond did for the @Sgf_Cardinals.

Ever hear of a "home run cycle?" Here it is: pic.twitter.com/zioZoVw0ZF
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 11, 2022

No major league player has ever accomplished the so-called "home run cycle." Before Wednesday, the only time it had been seen in the minors in the "modern era" was when Tyrone Horne accomplished the feat for then-Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate the Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League in July 1998.

"It's unbelievable," Redmond said of the achievement. "I don't even know what words to use to describe the feelings right now."

Redmond initially hit a two-run homer in the fifth before he notched his grand slam in the following frame. He then went yard for a solo blast in the seventh and finished things off with a three-run bomb in the eighth.

"So after I hit the grand slam, I had a little thought creep into my mind about maybe the cycle. But then I brushed it off real quick. I was like, 'Come on, this was only my second time with a multihomer game in pro ball,'" Redmond admitted when speaking after the victory. "But then I go up there and hit the solo shot and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, I can do it.' So then walking up for that last at-bat and seeing two guys on, I'm thinking, 'Oh my gosh, everything is lining up, you can do this. So just stay calm and stay within yourself, but if you get a chance to get a ball to hammer, you better not miss it.'"

Redmond also addressed his history-making night via social media: