Mariners' Cruz continues torrid start, homers in 5th straight game

Nelson Cruz really doesn't want to relinquish his status as baseball's reigning home run king.

The 34-year-old who led the major leagues with 40 home runs last season continued his torrid start to the 2015 campaign - his first with the Seattle Mariners - by homering in his fifth consecutive game Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth annual Civil Rights Game.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

"He's pretty impressive the way he's been swinging," Cano told MLB.com's Greg Johns after Tuesday's game. "He's a big guy that's been in this situation before. Last year, he had a great year. Hopefully this year, he continues and helps us win some games."

Related: Gonzalez powers Dodgers past Mariners in Civil Rights Game

Cruz's tenure in Seattle began less than two weeks ago, but the three-time All-Star already boasts the second-longest home run streak in franchise history. Ken Griffey Jr., a presumed Cooperstown inductee next year, holds the club record, homering in eight straight games from July 20-28, 1993.

Cruz is one of just 30 players in the last decade to record a home run in at least five straight games. The last player to homer in five consecutive contests, incidentally, is Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who homered in the last two games of the 2014 season before clobbering a home run in each of his first three games of the 2015 campaign.