SEATTLE — There is no baseball player on earth on a hotter streak at the moment than Julio Rodriguez.
The Mariners' star outfielder set an MLB record Saturday by completing a run that saw him register an astonishing 17 hits in a four-game span. The closest any player had come prior was 1925, when Milt Stock had 16 hits over four games for the Brooklyn Robins (h/t MLB.com).
His red-hot streak at the plate coincided with a winning streak for the Mariners, who completed a sweep over the Houston Astros on Sunday with a sixth consecutive victory overall.
Going into Sunday's games, Rodriguez had brought his batting average up all the way to .278 after it was at .256 prior to the Mariners' win streak. While he did snap a stretch of 4-hit games by only registering one in the Mariners' victory Sunday, he still hit his 30th double of the season and scored on a wild pitch.
"Julio is just smoking hot right now and it is fun to watch," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "Every time up there he expects to get a hit, we expect to watch him get a hit.
The run of wins for the Mariners of late has propelled the team into a dogfight with the reigning champion Astros, who now sit just a half-game ahead of Seattle in the American League Wild Card standings, as well as in the AL West.
Next up for the Mariners is a flight to the Windy City for a series against the 49-75 Chicago White Sox. With the Astros next taking on the Boston Red Sox, the games in Chicago are a prime opportunity for the Mariners to overtake Houston and put themselves into the second Wild Card spot.
Seattle fans will finally get to congratulate Julio on his record in person Friday, when the Mariners return home to start a series with the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park.