Going down 0-3 in the 2023 National League Championship Series might be a tough hill to climb for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ketel Marte was aware of that possibility when he stepped into the plate at the bottom of the ninth.
The 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star faced Philadelphia Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel. The odds were in Marte’s favor as he worked on a bases-loaded situation with one out. He delivered by hitting a walk-off single, settling the final tally at 2-1.
The Diamondbacks got another lease in their postseason life after the Phillies dominated them in the first two games via a 15-3 total score. But while Marte’s heroics are in the headlines, that hit also earned him a spot in the MLB record books.
Need a hit? Ketel Marte’s got your back
The game-winning single to right-center was one of Marte’s three hits in five at-bats. Those successful tries extended his postseason hit streak at 12 games, tying him with Elvis Andrus, Nelson Cruz, and Darin Erstad for third-longest on the list. Only Marquis Grissom (15) and Greg Luzinski (13) had longer streaks to start their postseason career.
Ketel Marte loves October baseball #EmbraceTheChaos pic.twitter.com/Uv92c7HL6D
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 20, 2023
While the Diamondbacks failed to register a run, Ketel Marte had two hits in four at-bats. He was struck out once, giving him a .955 On-Base Plus Slugging. He had one hit in four tries during the series opener against Arizona.
Marte also registered hits in all three National League Division Series games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also made contact with the ball in their two Wild Card games versus the Milwaukee Brewers.
The streak extends to their 2017 playoff push, Marte’s first season with Arizona, wherein they defeated the Colorado Rockies before getting swept in the Divisional Round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
With his consistency during the postseason, Marte and the Diamondbacks will try to level the tally on Friday.