Tuesday night's Mariners-Royals tilt (SEA-KC GameTracker) occasioned a bit of franchise history for K.C. second baseman/right fielder Whit Merrifield, who tied George Brett's club record 30-game hit streak. Here's the knock that did it:
And here's the acknowledgement:
Merrifield's streak dates back to Sept. 10 of last year, and he's hit safely in all 10 games of the current season, which gets us to 30. Brett's 30-game streak, in contrast, took place solely in 1980. A number of fans and observers don't consider hit streaks to be legitimate unless they occur within a single season, but MLB's listing of the longest hit streaks indeed includes those that cross offseasons, including the second-longest streak ever.
Merrifield, 30, is coming off a 2018 campaign in which he proved to be a valuable contributor at the plate, on the bases, and in the field. Thus far in 2019, he's been even better, and now he's earned a spot alongside the luminous Brett in the Royals' record books.
