Arizona Diamondbacks Slugger Eugenio Suárez Joins Babe Ruth in MLB History Books

Eugenio Suárez, who leads MLB with 22 home runs and 60 RBI since July 1, had yet another big game for the Arizona Diamondbacks in their win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.

Sep 3, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez (28) is congratulated by left fielder Randal Grichuk (15) after he scored against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. / John Hefti-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks got their revenge on the Texas Rangers in historic fashion on Wednesday, but one of their top producers wasn't even on the 2023 World Series roster.

Eugenio Suárez arrived in Phoenix via trade last November, just three weeks after the D-Backs lost to the Rangers in the Fall Classic. He had spent the previous two seasons with the Seattle Mariners, and the seven years before that with the Cincinnati Reds.

Still, Suárez didn't pull any punches during the reigning champs' visit to Chase Field.

Suárez led off the second inning with a home run, singled in the fourth, doubled in the fifth and went yard again in the seventh. The 33-year-old veteran finished the contest 4-for-4 with two homers, two RBI and four runs, all while Arizona secured a 14-4 win.

Nobody in the entire league has more home runs or RBI than Suárez since July 1. The third baseman is batting .328 with 22 home runs, 60 RBI and a 1.068 OPS in that time, leading the Diamondbacks to an MLB-best 41-21 record without missing a single contest.

As noted by OptaSTATS, Suárez has now posted four four-hit games and four five-RBI games just since the start of July. Since RBI became an official stat in 1920, the only other MLB player to record at least four of each in July or later in a single season is Babe Ruth, who did so in 1927.

The @Dbacks' Eugenio Suárez since the start of July:

4 games with 4+ hits
4 games with 5+ RBI

Since RBI became an official stat in 1920, the only other MLB player to have at least 4 of each in July or later in a season was Babe Ruth in 1927. pic.twitter.com/N28jlJzw0g

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 12, 2024

Standing in the history books alongside the Great Bambino is quite the accomplishment for Suárez, who was struggling mightily in the first half of 2024. After batting .353 with a .910 OPS through his first nine games in Arizona, Suárez hit .174 with a .546 OPS between April 7 and June 30.

That slump is clearly in Suárez's rear-view mirror, which is good news for the Diamondbacks as the postseason approaches.

Arizona currently owns sole possession of the top NL Wild Card spot at 82-64, and FanGraphs gives them a 93.2% chance of making the playoffs. Should the Diamondbacks make it to October again, perhaps Suárez's red-hot bat can get them to the finish line this time around.

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