NEW YORK — Tyler Tolbert grinned and said he’d give himself until midnight before turning the page on one of the most historic stretches a batter ever has enjoyed.
His place in the record books probably will last a lot longer.
The Kansas City Royals outfielder, typically a defensive specialist and pinch runner, tied a major league record with hits in 12 consecutive plate appearances, reaching the mark with an infield single against the New York Mets for his fifth hit in a wild 16-12 comeback win.
Batting ninth, the right fielder hit a two-run homer in the second inning and singled in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. Tolbert’s last three hits were infield hits.
Tolbert matched the record set by Chicago’s Johnny Kling in 1902 and equaled by Walt Dropo of the Detroit Tigers in 1952. The bat Tolbert used will be sent to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
“I’m truly lost for words, honestly,” Tolbert said. “I don’t know. It hasn’t really hit me, to be honest.”
With a chance to break the record, Tolbert finally was retired in the ninth on a fly ball to right against A.J. Minter to finish 5 for 6.
“He’s a good pitcher and broke the streak,” Tolbert said. “All I can do is just smile. I’m just grateful for the journey and opportunity.”
The remnants of the announced crowd of 32,734 gave Tolbert an ovation, and his teammates applauded while gathering on the top step of their dugout. Following the game, the Royals celebrated Tolbert with a Champagne toast in the visiting locker room.
“It’s nice — I guess everybody’s kind of in tune, knowing what was happening,” Tolbert said. “I appreciated the fans supporting me and cheering me on, trying to get the next one. When I was on deck, they were like, ‘Go for another one. Go for another one.’
“More importantly, just my teammates man, they were locked in,” Tolbert added. “Just awesome. Look in the dugout and everybody’s smiling. Brings a smile to my face, too.”
Tolbert, listed at 5-foot-10, was selected by the Royals in the 13th round of the 2019 draft and stole at least 48 bases in every minor league season from 2021 through 2025 before debuting in the bigs on March 31, 2025.
“I just couldn’t be more proud of him, the way he competes,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “His effort, energy, attitude — he lifts everybody up everyday. And for him to have those individual accolades are really special. The way the guys celebrated him right there was really cool.”
Tolbert was a career .247 hitter with one homer, seven RBIs and 28 stolen bases in 91 big league games, when he went 2 for 2 against Philadelphia before being lifted for a pinch hitter. He then started at shortstop and went 5 for 5 with a homer, his first of the season.
“He’s a sparkplug,” teammate Nick Loftin said “I’m happy that he’s able to find some success and consistent (at-bats). Now he’s going to Cooperstown.”
Tolbert is the first player with consecutive five-hit games since Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, who pulled off the feat Aug, 22-23, 1970.
“It’s always good to see your hard work pay off,” Tolbert said, “But like I said, back to work. That’s just my mindset.”
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