MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jose Miranda of the Minnesota Twins singled in the fourth inning on Saturday for his 12th straight hit in an at-bat, tying the longest streak in MLB history.
The fans at Target Field gave Miranda a standing ovation as the scoreboard and public address announcer informed them of the record. Miranda, a 26-year-old infielder from Puerto Rico, tipped his cap and waved in acknowledgement.
“It felt great seeing the fans, obviously, showing me (support) with the standing ovation,” said Miranda. “They are proud obviously, and I’m proud of them being there, too.”
The streak finally ended in the sixth inning when Hunter Brown retired Miranda on a flyout to left field. Twins fans gave Miranda another standing ovation in appreciation of the record.
“There's no real words,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You’ve just got to kind of stop talking and enjoy it. Never seen something like that go on, on a field, over the course of a few days, ever, anywhere.”
Miranda entered the game against the Houston Astros with 10 consecutive hits. In his first plate appearance, he was hit on the arm by a pitch from Brown. After being examined by the Twins training staff, Miranda remained in the game.
“I thought it was going to be a little more serious. It got me right here,” said Miranda, pointing to a spot toward the bottom of his hand, just below where he's covered by a protective pad. “Thankfully, it wasn’t that bad.”
In the second inning, Miranda drove Brown’s first pitch into center field for an RBI single. In the fourth, he got another single to right-center to tie the major league record of 12 straight hits, accomplished by Johnny Kling in 1902, Pinky Higgins in 1938 and Walt Dropo in 1952.
“I know Jose very well and I’m happy for that run,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “I wish we were not here for part of it, but it’s pretty impressive stuff. ”
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