Cleveland Guardians' Brayan Rocchio Enters Game 3 of ALCS on Historic Hitting Streak

Brayan Rocchio didn't do much at the plate over the course of his rookie season with the Cleveland Guardians, but the shortstop has broken out in a major way this postseason.

Oct 14, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) hits a solo home run during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Even with the Cleveland Guardians down 2-0 in the ALCS, rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio has been on a historic tear this October.

Rocchio opened the postseason by going 1-for-4 with a double in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers. He then went 1-for-3 with another double in Game 2, 1-for-2 with a walk in Game 3, 1-for-3 with a walk and a run in Game 4 and 2-for-4 with an RBI in Game 5.

After going 2-for-3 with a solo home run against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS, he went 2-for-4 in Game 2.

Rocchio has recorded at least one hit in all seven of his playoff appearances so far, batting .435 with an 1.132 OPS to this point in the postseason. That is quite the leap compared to his regular season production, when Rocchio hit .206 with a .614 OPS and 1.8 WAR, never once posting a hitting streak longer than four games.

According to OptaSTATS, Rocchio is the second player in MLB history to have a hitting streak of at least seven games in a single postseason before ever recording a regular season hitting streak of at least five games.

Timo Perez is the only other player to achieve the feat, doing so with the New York Mets in 2000.

Rocchio's seven-game hitting streak is also the longest to start a career in Cleveland's postseason franchise history.

Brayan Rocchio of the @CleGuardians is the second player in MLB history to have a hit streak of 7+ games in a single postseason prior to ever having a regular-season hit streak of 5+ games.

The other is Timo Perez, who had a nine-game streak for the Mets in the 2000 playoffs. pic.twitter.com/9PdXZncLtU

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 17, 2024

Of course, Rocchio's breakout postseason at the plate hasn't come without its drawbacks.

In Game 2 of the ALCS alone, Rocchio dropped a routine fly ball that allowed the Yankees to go up 1-0 in the first inning, despite being a finalist for a Gold Glove. The 23-year-old shortstop proceeded to strike out with the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, all while the Guardians went on to lose 6-3.

Rocchio has a shot to both make up for his mistakes and stay hot in Game 3 back at Progressive Field on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. ET, and Rocchio will once again be hitting out of the No. 9 spot.

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