Royals speedster ties MLB record with hit in 12 straight plate appearances

NEW YORK -- After scoring 15 runs against the Phillies on Monday, the Royals had their hitting shoes on once again Tuesday -- this time against the Mets -- and won a slugfest, 16-12, at Citi Field.

It was a game that saw the Royals fall behind at both 3-0 and 9-4 margins in the early going, but right fielder Tyler Tolbert was the reason Kansas City was able to win its third straight game.

With five hits against the Mets, Tolbert tied an MLB record with a hit in 12 consecutive plate appearances. He also shattered the previous Royals record of eight straight.

• These players got how many hits in a row?

Only two other players had ever recorded this long a streak: Johnny Kling in 1902 and Walt Dropo in 1952.

In the seventh inning, the Royals broke a 9-9 tie off right-hander Matt Seelinger, who was taken to school in his Major League debut. After Lane Thomas led off with a walk, Salvador Perez doubled to left-center field, scoring Thomas and giving Kansas City a one-run lead.

Two batters later, Nick Loftin added to the lead with a two-run homer. The Royals would add four more runs against Seelinger. In his second plate appearance of the inning, Thomas capped the scoring with a two-run double.

But Tolbert is the one who stood out for Kansas City. He spent seven years trying to fight his way up the Royals' farm system. He only had 92 Major League at-bats entering Tuesday and just 42 on the season. But he received the start because of injuries to Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia.

Tolbert entered the game with seven consecutive hits -- all coming against the Phillies.

Then came Tuesday night. In his first at-bat against Mets right-hander Kodai Senga, Tolbert hit a two-run homer to cut New York’s lead to 3-2. Two innings later, he put himself in the team’s record books when he singled to right field. He later scored on a double by Thomas.

Tolbert then used his plus speed to record infield hits in his next three plate appearances, tying the record. He also became the third player with consecutive five-hit games since at least 1900, joining Roberto Clemente (1970) and Hi Myers (1917).

Tolbert's run came to an end when he flied out to right field in the ninth inning to end the streak.