CHICAGO (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ildemaro Vargas extended his hitting streak to 27 games on Friday, breaking the major league record for a Venezuela native.
Vargas went 4 for 4 with a walk in a 6-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs at a cold and blustery Wrigley Field. He raised his batting average to a major league-high .404.
“He's fearless,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “He goes up there, he'll take a strike when he needs to. He's on base five times today. He's doing a great job.”
Vargas singled back up the middle in the first inning. The 34-year-old journeyman added an RBI single in the third, and singled again in the fifth and sixth. He also reached on a leadoff walk in the ninth.
Vargas' career-best streak dates to Sept. 26, and his 24-game streak to start this season is a franchise record.
“He's seeing the ball well,” Cubs pitcher Colin Rea said. “We tried to get him with some heaters and he was on those. He's taking good at-bats right now.”
Vargas has been one of baseball's biggest surprises so far this year. He has six homers, 21 RBIs and a .429 on-base percentage in 24 games.
The switch hitter has already matched his career high for homers, set in 2019 during his first stint with Arizona. He is nearing his career best of 31 RBIs for Washington in 2023.
Vargas was a .249 hitter with 20 homers and 145 RBIs in 458 big league games coming into this year.
“It's not luck,” Lovullo said. “It's all the things he's doing in the quiet time that's preparing him for these moments, and he deserves this opportunity.”
Vargas had been tied with Wilson Ramos for the record for a Venezuela-born player. Ramos had a 26-game hitting streak for the New York Mets in 2019.
Vargas also snapped a tie with Paul Goldschmidt for the second-longest hit streak in franchise history. Luis Gonzalez holds the record at 30 games from April 11 to May 18, 1999.
Vargas’ 24-game streak in 2026 is tied with Tony Womack (2000) for second on the single-season franchise list, trailing Gonzalez.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
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