Luis Arraez recorded his third five-hit game in June on Monday, putting the Marlins star in historic company.
It was his second five-hit game in his past three appearances, also achieving the feat on June 16 against the Nationals.
Arraez rose his batting average to .400 on the season with his 5-for-5 night. That kind of production is unheard of in modern times.
Since Ted Williams posted a .401 average in 1941, George Brett (1980) and John Olerud (1993) are the only players to even hit .400 at least 100 games into the season. (h/t MLB.com)
While it is nearly impossible to maintain that average for an entire season, Arraez is still well on his way to the National League batting crown. Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. is second in the league with a .325 batting average.
Arraez could be in store for the NL MVP award by season’s end, too, should Miami (42-31) reach the postseason. They’re on pace to do so through 73 games, which includes Monday’s 11-0 win against the Blue Jays.
That 73-game mark is the longest into a season a player’s batted .400 since Chipper Jones in 2007.
Arraez, in his fifth MLB season, began his career in Minnesota and played for the Twins for four seasons from 2019-22. He batted .314 in Minneosta, including a career-best .334 in 326 at-bats in 2019.
He was traded to Miami this offseason and is playing on a one-year, $6.1M contract.
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