Which is more rare, a pitcher throwing a no hitter or a batter hitting for the cycle (a single, double, triple and home run in one game)?

Turns out that throwing a no hitter is slightly rarer than hitting for cycle, at least since a Major League Baseball committee tightened its definition of a no hitter in 1991, knocking 50 of such feats off the record books.

So why have nine Mets players hit for cycle, yet not a one has hurled a no hitter?

Players have had 280 hits for cycle in Major League history, while there have been 235 sanctioned no hitters thrown in Major League history. The 50 no-nos thrown out the the Committee for Statistical Accuracy either involved games not lasting the full nine innings or games in which the pitcher yielded an extra-inning hit after no-hitting through nine.




Here’s a side-by-side comparison of these two rare feats:

	No Hitters	Hits for Cycle
Total in MLB	235	280
Average per season (through 2007)	1.79	2.13
Mets accomplishing this	0	9 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
Teams without one	San Diego Padres Colorado Rockies Tampa Bay Rays New York Mets	San Diego Padres Tampa Bay Rays Florida Marlins
Number this millennium	12	34