Luis Arraez Does Something Not Done in Last 26 Years of Baseball History

Luis Arraez is making a historic impact in his early tenure with the San Diego Padres.

San Diego Padres Luis Arraez (4) runs past Cincinnati Reds third baseman Elly De La Cruz (44) in the1st inning after hitting a homer 374 feet Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. / Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

The San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday afternoon, 6-4, in 10 innings at Great American Ball Park.

With the win, the Padres are now back over .500 at 27-26 while the Reds are a disappointing 20-30 for the year.

Once again, Luis Arraez contributed in a big way for the Padres, going 4-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. He hit a double and is now hitting .341 for the year, which began with the Marlins before his trade to San Diego.

According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Arraez has done something not done in the last 26 years of baseball history:

Luis Arraez’s three games with 4+ hits with the Padres are tied for the most in a player’s first 17 games with a franchise since 1900, with:

1998 Mike Lansing COL
1997 Kenny Lofton ATL
1991 Todd Benzinger KC
1942 Nanny Fernandez BSN
1941 Billy Herman BRO
1934 Carl Reynolds BOS
1928-30 Al Lopez BRO
1914 Hugh Bradley Pittsburgh Rebels

h/t @EliasSports

Luis Arraez’s three games with 4+ hits with the Padres are tied for the most in a player’s first 17 games with a franchise since 1900, with:

1998 Mike Lansing COL
1997 Kenny Lofton ATL
1991 Todd Benzinger KC
1942 Nanny Fernandez BSN
1941 Billy Herman BRO
1934 Carl Reynolds BOS… https://t.co/1nWu9uWlbk

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 23, 2024

In a league dominated by power and tolerable massive strikeout numbers, Arraez is a throwback, for sure. A hitter who is just willing to make contact and put the ball in play, he has won back-to-back batting titles. He captured the 2022 crown with the Minnesota Twins and the 2023 crown with the Marlins, giving him the distinction of having won the title in both leagues.

The Padres will be back in action on Friday night when they host the New York Yankees at Petco Park. Yu Darvish will pitch for San Diego against Carlos Rodon.

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