The big game is underway and the Arizona Diamondbacks are the team to look out for. Within the 2023 season, the team that no one saw in the finals is on the field living their dreams in Arlington. With a shot at only the second World Series title in their entire history and the first in two decades, the Snakes need their top players in prime touch to see them through Game 1.
With big games come big records, and such has been the case in Game 1 so far. This time it is the 30-year-old Dominican Ketel Marte. Apart from giving the D-Backs an important 5-3 lead, the hit juxtaposed Marte with the New York Yankees and the Red Sox Legends.
Starling Marte sets postseason record, enters the realm of Yankees and Red Sox legends
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In Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, Diamondbacks’ second baseman Ketel Marte slammed an RBI double off Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi in the fifth inning. Marte’s hit in the fifth inning was his 17th straight hit in the postseason. With 17 back-to-back hits, the D-Backs second baseman has shown his brilliant form and equaled the record for the most consecutive post-season hits. A record held only previously by the likes of iconic Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, right fielder Hank Bauer, and Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez.
1⃣7⃣ straight postseason games with a hit!
Ketel Marte has tied the record for the longest hit streak in postseason history!#WorldSeries | #EmbraceTheChaos pic.twitter.com/0eJtrTAfyX
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) October 28, 2023
Hank Bauer, the first to achieve this mark, hit in 17 straight games for the Yankees during the World Series from 1956 to 1958. After that, it was Derek Jeter who achieved the same from 1998 to 1999. And then the record was equaled by Manny Ramirez from Yankees’ rival Boston Red Sox during the period of 2003 to 2004. Now, after 19 years, Marte is the fourth to tie the record.
In addition to playing in 17 consecutive games, these were Marte’s initial 17 post-season games, during which he secured hits in each one. He surpassed Marquis Grissom’s 15-match streak to now having the longest post-season streak from the start of his career. Being a crunch player, Marte also set the record for the longest-surviving streak in terms of time. The 30-year-old started back in the 2017 season when he played for the Diamondbacks and has continued to score in each postseason game since then.
Ketel Marte and his journey of success
Born in the Dominican Republic, Ketel Marte’s baseball journey started back in 2010 when he joined the Seattle Mariners, an international free agent at just 16 years of age. His professional debut occurred in 2011 with the Dominican Summer League Mariners. After playing for the Mariners for some time, he was promoted to majors.
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In 2016, he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. After an impressive 2017 postseason, Marte came of his own in the 2019 season. His 32 homers, 92 RBIs, and a batting average of .329 saw him become an All-Star.
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