Jose Reyes nearly becomes first Met to hit for cycle more than once

Jose Reyes tried to extend an eighth-inning triple into an inside-the-park home run Friday night, nearly becoming the first New York Met to hit for the cycle more than once.

It would have been the 10th hit-for-cycle by a Met in their 46 year history, but Reyes failed to slide and got tagged out at the plate. The New York Giants’ “Harry the Horse” Danning was the last player to end a hit-for-cycle with an inside-the-park home run on June 14, 1940.

Still, 4-for-5 (with some nice plays in the field) is not a bad night:

• First inning, triple to deep right
• Second inning, double to deep center
• Fourth inning, ground out to short
• Sixth inning, single to left
• Eighth inning, triple to center (with a failed attempt to extend it into an inside-the-park homer)

Reyes last hit for the cycle on June 21, 2006, when he went 4-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored at Shea against the Cincinnati Reds. The Mets wound up losing that game in the ninth 6-5.

We have a special affinity for hits for the cycle here, as leaguewide they’re actually a slightly more rare feat than a no hitter. (See our comparison page) However, as we all know, the no hitter in Mets country is the rarest feat of all. It’s never happened.

Here are the Mets’ nine hits for cycle:

• Jim Hickman, Aug. 7, 1963
• Tommie Agee, July 6, 1970
• Mike Phillips, June 25, 1976
• Keith Hernandez, July 4, 1985
• Kevin McReynolds, Aug. 1, 1989
• Alex Ochoa, July 3, 1996
• John Olerud, Sept. 11, 1997
• Eric Valent, July 29, 2004
• Jose Reyes, June 21, 2006