Kansas City Royals Star Bobby Witt Jr. Joins Willie Mays in Baseball History Books

Bobby Witt Jr. stole two bases in the Kansas City Royals' win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, once again putting his unique blend of speed and power on display.

Jun 6, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) steals second as Cleveland Guardians shortstop Daniel Schneemann (10) is late with the tag during the ninth inning at Progressive Field. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got on base twice Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians, and he stole second both times.

Although he didn't come around to score in either instance, he still played a part in the Royals' comeback win over the Guardians. And in doing so, he made history as well.

Thursday marked Witt's third multi-stolen base game of the season. He also has three multi-home run games and six triples through 63 games this year, which combine to make quite the rare achievement.

According to OptaSTATS, Witt is now one of just two players in the modern era to post those numbers in their first 70 games of a season. Willie Mays remains the fastest player to reach those three thresholds in MLB history, doing so in 47 games in 1958.

.@Royals Bobby Witt Jr. through 63 games in 2024:
-3 multi-HR games
-3 multi-SB games
-6 triples

The only other player in the modern era (since 1901) to reach those marks within their first 70 games of a season was Willie Mays in 1958 (47 games).

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) June 7, 2024

Witt has taken his game to another level in 2024, and that's after showing plenty of promise the past two seasons. After finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, Witt finished seventh in AL MVP voting in 2023.

The Royals inked Witt to a seven-year, $149 million contract extension this past offseason, and he has more than lived up to it so far. The 23-year-old is batting .317 with 11 home runs, 46 RBI, 19 stolen bases, a .931 OPS and a 3.8 WAR, leading the AL with 80 hits and 54 runs.

On top of that, Witt has appeared in all 63 games for the Royals this season, helping them post a 37-26 record thus far. The shortstop has missed just 16 games since making his MLB debut in 2022.

Witt and the Royals are set to open up a weekend series against the Seattle Mariners on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.

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