By Adam McCalvy

Brewers backup catcher George Kottaras became the first big leaguer to hit for the cycle in 2011, completing the trick Saturday with a ninth-inning double in Milwaukee’s blowout win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park.

He’s the seventh player in Brewers history to hit for the cycle, and the third straight bench player. Outfielder Jody Gerut had all of 71 at-bats with the Brewers last season, but hit for the cycle on May 8 in Arizona. Catcher Chad Moeller split time behind the plate in 2004 with Gary Bennett and Mark Johnson, but hit for the cycle on April 27 of that season.

The other Brewers to do it are Paul Molitor (1991), Robin Yount (1988), Charlie Moore (1980) and Mike Hegan (1976).

Moore, Moeller and now Kottaras all did it as a catcher.

The cycle has been unusually rare this season, considering that four players did it in 2010 and eight in 2009. There have been multiple cycles in the Majors in every year since 1992, when the Astros’ Andujar Cedeno was the only one to accomplish the feat.

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