Jaffe: Adrian Beltre is now MLB’s international hit king
From SABR member Jay Jaffe at FanGraphs on June 14, 2018:
The Rangers’ two-game visit to Chavez Ravine wasn’t just a chance for Dodgers fans to watch a relatively unfamiliar team, it was an opportunity to see a future Hall of Famer (and former Dodger) claim one more slice of history. With two hits on Tuesday night and then three more on Wednesday, Adrian Beltre tied and then surpassed the recently retired (?) Ichiro Suzuki for the most hits by a player born outside the United States. Back on April 5, Beltre surpassed Rod Carew (3.054) for the most hits by a Latin America-born player. With Wednesday’s binge, he’s up to 3,092.
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Admittedly, the hit was somewhat overshadowed by a trio of plays at the plate, first Matt Kemp’s collision with Robinson Chirinos and the subsequent bench-clearing brawl; then Beltre’s own slide home, which was challenged (unsuccessfully) by the Dodgers; and then Enrique Hernandez’s eventful tag of home for the game-winning run after a bad throw by pitcher Matt Bush. Here’s the updated career leaderboard for players born outside the U.S. after Beltre’s three-hit night.
Read the full article here: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/adrian-beltre-is-now-the-international-hit-king/
Originally published: June 15, 2018. Last Updated: June 15, 2018.