ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Nolan Arenado is making a truly special first impression on St. Louis Cardinals fans as he's closing in on a franchise-record-setting performance to start this season.
The five-time All-Star has hit safely in every game thus far, giving him a now nine-game hit streak. That is officially the longest hitting streak to start the season by a new Cardinals player in more than 50 years. His first-inning single on Sunday extended the streak.
His double on Saturday – to make it eight in a row – tied former Cardinals outfielder Roger Maris, who hit safely in his first eight games with St. Louis in 1967. Two other Cardinals players have also had eight-game hitting streaks to start their season: Homer Smoot (1902) and Frenchy Bordagaray (1937).
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And just incase you were wondering, the four-time Silver Slugger would need to reach 34 games to set a new all-time Cardinals hit streak record. The mark of 33 games was set by Rogers Hornsby in 1922 – in which he batted .401 and was the first National Leaguer ever to get at least 250 hits in a season.
Arenado's 2021 season is the best, first impression by a new Cardinals players since outfielder Matt Holliday had a nine-game hit streak in his first games with St. Louis in 2009. Holliday batted an ungodly .606 with three homers in that stretch.
If Arenado can get hits in both games on Monday and Tuesday against the Washington Nationals, then he'll have the all-time longest hit streak to open a season by a new Cardinal. He'll pass Charley Smith's record of 10 games set in 1966.
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The 29-year-old is slashing .333/.385/.556 to start the 2021 season and had just about the best home opener we could have asked for last week. It's looking like it'll be a fun year(s) to come...
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