Kansas City Royals outfielder Tyler Tolbert tied a major-league record by becoming the fifth player ever to record hits in 12 consecutive at-bats.
His hits in 12 straight plate appearances also set an expansion-era (since 1961) record and tied the overall MLB mark.
Tolbert etched his name in the record books with an infield single off New York Mets pitcher Matt Seelinger during the Royals' seven-run seventh inning.
Tyler Tolbert ties an MLB record with hits in 12 straight at-bats! pic.twitter.com/vldHYDmkdw
— MLB (@MLB) July 8, 2026
Tolbert's record-tying run finally ended when he flew out to right field in the top of the ninth.
The 28-year-old joined the Chicago Cubs' Johnny Kling (1902), Pinky Higgins of the Boston Red Sox (1938), the Detroit Tigers' Walt Dropo (1952), and the Minnesota Twins' Jose Miranda (2024) in the exclusive club. Of that group, only Tolbert, Kling, and Dropo recorded their 12 hits in consecutive plate appearances, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
Tolbert's streak started Saturday when he went 2-for-2 against the Philadelphia Phillies before being lifted for a pinch hitter. He followed that up with a 5-for-5 performance Monday versus Philadelphia before notching another five hits Tuesday in Flushing.
Tuesday's performance made Tolbert just the third player to record consecutive five-hit games, joining the Brooklyn Robins' Hi Myers in 1917 and Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente in 1970, per the Mets' broadcast.
Tolbert, a 13th-round pick of the Royals out of UAB in 2019, had played in just 91 MLB games before his streak began Saturday. He made his MLB debut last March and has split his 2026 campaign between Kansas City and Triple-A Omaha.
He's hitting .396/.434/.542 with two homers, five RBIs, and 10 steals across 54 big-league plate appearances this year.
Tolbert's five-hit, two-RBI game helped Kansas City beat New York 16-12 in a wild contest that saw the teams combine for 32 hits.
