​NEW YORK (AP) — Tyler Tolbert of the Kansas City Royals matched a major league record by recording hits in 12 consecutive plate appearances, reaching the milestone with an infield single off the New York Mets for his fifth hit of the night on Tuesday. The achievement tied the mark previously set by Johnny Kling of Chicago in 1902 and later matched by Walt Dropo of the Detroit Tigers in 1952.
Tolbert, a second-year player, flashed a broad grin as he returned to first base after the record-tying hit. The Citi Field scoreboard displayed a graphic highlighting his accomplishment as he stood at the plate. Hitting ninth in the lineup, the right fielder delivered a two-run homer in the second inning and then singled in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Tolbert’s last three hits of the night all came on infield plays.
Earlier in the week, Tolbert went 2-for-2 on Saturday against Philadelphia before being lifted for a pinch-hitter. He then started at shortstop on Monday and produced a 5-for-5 performance, including his first home run of the season. Known as a pinch-running and defensive specialist, Tolbert had accumulated 105 career plate appearances before Tuesday’s game. By contrast, entering Saturday he was 7-for-35 on the season. With his fifth hit on Tuesday, Tolbert raised his season batting average to .404.