Royals’ Tyler Tolbert Ties Major League Record as Kansas City Out Slugs the Mets 16-12

The Kansas City Royals haven’t had a lot to cheer about this season as they sit in last place in the American League Central, but their game against the Mets in New York on July 7th was a very entertaining win.

Kansas City trailed 9-4 after four innings before scoring five in the fifth and seven in the seventh innings and then held on for a 16-12 victory. Lane Thomas drove in four runs and five others each had a pair of RBIs for the Royals, the most notable of these being right fielder Tyler Tolbert. All he did was hit a two run homer and followed that with four singles before flying out in his last plate appearance. What made this special was that he had gone seven for seven in his previous two games, and when you add his five for his first five in this one, you get hits in 12 consecutive plate appearances, tying a major league record set by Johnny Kling of the Chicago Cubs (then known as the Orphans) in 1902 and equaled by the Detroit Tigers’ Walt Dropo in 1952. As a bit of trivia, Kling was born and died in Kansas City.

The Royals improved to 38-54, while the Mets dropped to an identical 38-54. Both teams have a ways to go before they exit their respective basements. The Mets, who were expected to be contenders in the National League East after finishing second last year, have settled in well behind the rest of the division and at this point are on their way to once again disappointing their fans.