CINCINNATI -- Christian Yelich sat on a chair in front of his locker, trying to take in all that had just happened.
"I'm so tired," he said.
No wonder. For more than four hours, Yelich led an improbable comeback with a historic effort.
Yelich hit for his first career cycle, becoming the eighth Milwaukee Brewers player to achieve the feat, and tied the club record with six hits. Jesus Aguilar took it from there, hitting a homer in the 10th inning for a 13-12 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Then it was time for everyone to catch their breath.
"I've never seen a game like that," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said of Yelich's 6-for-6 performance. "It was incredible. He's coming up and you're thinking he can't do it again, and he does it again. He did everything tonight, he really did. He's driving the bus home tonight."
Milwaukee desperately needed all of it.
Aguilar connected off Raisel Iglesias (2-3) for Milwaukee's fourth homer of the game, halting the Brewers' monthlong slide. Milwaukee has dropped 11 of 20 and slipped into third place in the National League Central, five games behind the Chicago Cubs.
"Look, the next month there's going to be crazy nights and there's going to be more nights like this," Counsell said. "It might be a different kind of crazy. We're ready to take the ride."
Yelich became the first Brewers player to hit for the cycle since George Kottaras on Sept. 3, 2011, at the Houston Astros. Yelich also matched the club record with six of the Brewers' 22 hits, including a two-run homer.
Yelich is the fourth player in the live ball era (since 1920) to have six hits in a cycle, joining Ian Kinsler (2009), Rondell White (1995) and Bobby Beach (1920), according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
"It's one of those things you never really expect to do," Yelich said. "Obviously, you've got to have some luck involved in it; that's always a factor when you do something like that."
The outfielder tripled to deep right in the seventh inning to complete the milestone, adding to his three singles, a double and the home run.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
No comments: