FriarNotes: As Debuts Go, Arraez’s Was Awesome; Notes on Cronenworth, King, Profar and Wins, Hits and Runs
When Tony Gwynn made his Major League debut as a Padre on July 19, 1982, he was at first after his second hit when he was greeted by Phillies’ first baseman and all-time hit champion Pete Rose.
“Kid, you trying to catch me in one night?” said Rose.
After 20 seasons, Gwynn ended his Hall of Fame career with 3,141 hits.
In his first game as a Padre, Luis Arraez pulled to within 3,137 hits of Gwynn’s franchise record. OK, we’re being a little silly here.
But Arraez is the first Padre to have four hits in his Padres’ debut. And he was 4-for-4 after his first four plate appearances before lining out to center.
In baseball’s modern era, only three players have had five hits in their debut with a Major League debut. The most recent was Hank Foiles, who had five hits in his debut with the Detroit Tigers on July 27, 1960 — or almost 64 years ago. The other two more hittable debuts than Arraez’s came inj 1933 and 1902.
Saturday was the 12th, four-hit game of Arraez’s career — also the highest count in the Major Leagues since 2022.
NOTES:
— 1B Jake Cronenworth was 2-for-6 Saturday night to extend his hitting streak to eight straight games. He is 12-for-33 during the streak with five doubles, three home runs, two walks and six runs scored for a .364 batting average with a .400 on-base percentage and a .788 slugging percentage for a 1.188 OPS. The streak has boosted his season slash line to .281/.352/.508/.860.
— RHP Michael King allowed six hits and no walks with three strikeouts over six shutout innings Saturday night to even his record at 3–3 while lowering his earned run average to 4.29 while snapping a personal three-decision losing streak. It was King’s second scoreless start of the season. He blanked the Giants on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts over seven innings on April 6 in San Francisco.
— The Padres scored 13 runs on 18 hits Saturday night while winning a fourth straight game. The 2023 Padres didn’t have a four-game winning streak until Sept. 17. The 13 runs scored are tied for the second-most in a game by the Padres this season. The hits tie the Padres’ season-high set on March 21 in the second game of the Seoul Series against the Dodgers.
— After seeing his eight-game hitting streak stopped Friday night, Jurickson Profar was 3-for-4 Saturday night with a home run and two RBIs. He has two three-hit games and a four-hit game in his last four games — going 10-for-15 with a double, a home run, four RBIs and four runs scored.
