It’s finally over. After seven walks, 28 strikeouts, and a disconcerting .000 batting average through 54 hitless at-bats and 62 plate appearances, Chris Davis recorded his first hit since September 14, 2018.
The fortuitous moment arrived in the first inning of the Orioles-Red Sox game on Saturday. Boston right-hander Rick Porcello loaded the bases on a Trey Mancini double and two walks to Dwight Smith and Rio Ruiz and was looking for an inning-ending out when Davis stepped up to the plate. Instead, Davis lofted a 92.9-m.p.h. fastball into the right field gap, scoring both Mancini and Smith with his first hit of the 2019 season.
Prior to Davis’ long-awaited two-run single, the Orioles’ infielder carried the longest hitless streak by a position player in MLB history, a burden that was previously shouldered by utility player Eugenio Vélez in 2011. Vélez went 0-for-46 between his 2010 and 2011 stints with the Giants and Dodgers and has not appeared in a major-league game since.
The Orioles currently lead the Red Sox 2-0 in the third.
