J-Rod sets MLB record with 17 hits in 4-game span

Julio Rodriguez is virtually impossible to stop right now.

The Seattle Mariners star stayed red-hot Saturday with another four-hit performance against the Houston Astros to etch his name in baseball's record books. Rodriguez's 17 hits over his last four games set a new MLB record for hits in a four-game span, breaking the previous mark set by Milt Stock of the 1925 Brooklyn Robins.

J-Rod broke the 98-year-old record with an eighth-inning single off Astros reliever Hector Neris.

The hit also gave him four straight four-hit games, tying a modern-era record also set by Stock in 1925, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com. Rodriguez has gone 17-for-22 (.773) during this tear, which also included a run with hits in nine straight at-bats that tied a Mariners franchise record. He's also the first player to record at least 14 hits and five stolen bases during a four-game stretch.

The 22-year-old is the second-youngest player since 1901 to record at least 15 hits in a four-game span, trailing only Buddy Lewis, who did it at age 20 in 1937, per Langs.

This record surge comes during an amazing second-half run for Rodriguez that's helped turn what had been a disappointing sophomore campaign on its head. He's hitting .338/.395/.590 with eight homers, 30 RBIs, and 10 steals since the All-Star break and .430 in August, production that's helped raise his 2023 OPS above .800 for the first time since April 10.

Helped by Rodriguez's spark, the Mariners trounced Houston 10-3 on Saturday for their fifth consecutive victory. The win moved the M's a game behind the Astros in the loss column and also clinched the season series - and the tiebreaker advantage - against their division rivals.