D-backs' Ketel Marte passes Derek Jeter, two others for longest postseason hitting streak

ARLINGTON, Texas — The oh-fer was at four and counting when Ketel Marte stepped to the plate in the eighth inning of Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night.

The switch-hitting second baseman of the Arizona Diamondbacks had one more chance to pass Derek Jeter & Co. for the longest hitting streak in postseason history.

No. 18 is in the books, and Marte still hasn't played a hitless postseason game.

Marte already had the MLB record for the longest streak to start a career at 17 postseason games before his two-run single off Texas Rangers reliever Martín Pérez in a 9-1 Arizona victory that evened the Series at 1-all.

The two-out hit that was part of a three-run eighth sent him past Jeter and Hank Bauer of the New York Yankees and Boston's Manny Ramirez for the longest overall streak.

Jeter's run came in 1998-99, while Bauer's was in the World Series from 1956-58. Ramirez had his streak in 2003-04.

"Very happy. I never imagined doing something like this," Marte said through a translator.

Marte got his chance with the bases loaded in the eighth after consecutive walks to pinch-hitter Emmanuel Rivera and No. 9 hitter Geraldo Perdomo.

Hitting leadoff after being in the No. 2 spot for Game 1, Marte sent a changeup from Pérez on the ground up the middle.

Marte's streak started with a three-hit game in an 11-8 wild-card win over Colorado in 2017, then with three more when the Diamondbacks were swept in the Division Series by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 30-year-old who has spent all but two of his nine seasons with Arizona didn't get another postseason shot until this season. The streak resumed with a 1-for-5 showing in the Wild Card Series opener for the National League's sixth seed against Milwaukee.

Marte set the record in a third consecutive 1-for-5 outing. But it was the first of five such games this postseason that came down to the final at-bat.

"I don't focus on that," said Marte, who is hitting .333 (21 of 63) with two homers and 11 RBIs since the playoffs began and has a career .350 postseason average. "What I'm focused on is winning and just mainly getting on base."

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