How the Giants’ Fitzgerald equaled Ruth’s historic eight-game streak originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Is it time to put Tyler Fitzgerald in the “GOAT” conversation?
Not yet, but the Giants rookie could be on the right track with his latest achievement.
Fitzgerald is on an eight-game tear this has already been seen once in MLB history and, of course, it was by Babe Ruth.
O @SFGiants‘Tyler Fitzgerald in his last 8 games:
1,400+ percent scams
HR sequence of 5 games
multi-HR game
5+ raffled walks
run scored in every gameIn MLB history, the only other player to make all 5 in an 8-game span was Babe Ruth, June 9-16, 1921. pic.twitter.com/T5pXI4wtXU
-OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 27, 2024
In his last eight games, Fitzgerald has collected 13 hits, 12 RBI, seven home runs and six walks, all in just 33 plate appearances.
Ruth was fortunate to have a period as good as Fitzgerald’s more than 103 years ago.
And “the Bambino” probably had his eight-game streak with the New York Yankees against names that the “MLB: The Show” franchise couldn’t automatically generate, for what it’s worth.
The prized 26-year-old shortstop from San Francisco seems to make history with every game.
In addition to sharing a wild league-wide stat with Ruth, Fitzgerald has been breaking Giants records.
Tyler Fitzgerald’s 8-game extra-base hitting streak is the second longest by a Giants rookie since 1900, behind only:
1924 Hack Wilson: 9
Wilson’s 9 is tied for most by any rookie in that period with: 2019 Bo Bichette, 1939 Ted Williams, 1934 Hal Trosky
h/t @EliasSports https://t.co/i7YsrE2dhW
– Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 27, 2024
Fitzgerald isn’t hitting .452 in his last nine games by accident.
The rookie’s success is a byproduct of the hard work and dedication that led to his opportunities.
“In this game, you just try to stay as level-headed as possible and come to work every day,” Fitzgerald told the “Giants Postgame Live” crew on Friday. “Whenever I do the right preparation, I feel ready for the game. So I’m going to keep doing this and see how long this can last.
“It’s just taking each day as a new day. I don’t really think about what happened yesterday, good or bad… With more repetitions, you will feel more comfortable. I have a lot of work to do, I know that…”
Fitzgerald also mentioned how his recent consistent role at shortstop has helped him focus on the diamond compared to his days as a utility player.
The 50-55 Giants have struggled to get into a 2024 MLB Trade Deadline compound of uncertainty.
But while San Francisco is deciding to sell stars Like Blake Snell and Matt Chapman, Fitzgerald has been a breath of fresh air that could exist for a while at this rate.
