Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Extends Historic Hitting Streak to 20 Games

All-Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been mashing as of late, joining a handful of exclusive lists in both Toronto Blue Jays and MLB history on Thursday.

Aug 8, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) celebrates his to run home run in the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre. / Gerry Angus-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the Baltimore Orioles' best efforts down the stretch, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays were just too much to handle Thursday night.

Guerrero got the ball rolling for the Blue Jays, recording an RBI double in the bottom of the first. That sparked a three-run frame for Toronto, and Guerrero made sure the scoring didn't end there.

The 25-year-old first baseman blasted a two-run home run in the fifth, then drove in another run on a triple in the sixth. That put the Blue Jays up 7-2, and they went on to win 7-6.

Guerrero went 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI and two runs, finishing a single shy of the cycle. In doing so, he comfortably extended his hitting streak to 20 games, which is the longest active streak in baseball.

This marks the second 20-game hitting streak of Guerrero's career. According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, he now joins Dámaso García as one of two players in Blue Jays history to reach that mark twice.

Over his last 20 appearances, Guerrero is batting .507 with 10 home runs, 11 doubles, a triple, 22 RBI, 23 runs, 11 walks and a 1.671 OPS.

Guerrero is one of 10 MLB players since 1901 to hit .500 or better with 20-plus extra-base hits in a 20-game span, per Langs. He is also one of just eight players in the modern era to hit at least .500 with 10-plus home runs across a 20-game span.

20+ XBH & .500+ BA in single-season 20-game span, since 1901:

2024 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
2006 Chipper Jones
2000 Richard Hidalgo
2000 Todd Helton
1936 Lou Gehrig
1933 Jimmie Foxx
1931 Al Simmons
1930 Bill Terry
1928, ’24 Rogers Hornsby
1923 Tris Speaker https://t.co/xRQuRqZpMi

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 9, 2024

Guerrero's 22 extra-base hits over his last 20 games are tied with Carlos Delgado and Edwin Encarnacion for the most in Blue Jays franchise history, according to TSN's StatsCentre. Thursday also marked his sixth career game with three or more extra-base hits, which moved him up to sixth-place on Toronto's all-time leaderboards.

And, courtesy of OptaSTATS, Guerrero is now one of five players in MLB's modern era to rack up at least 35 hits, 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 10 walks over the course of 20 games. The feat hadn't been achieved since Joe DiMaggio did so in 1937.

Players with 35+ hits, 10+ doubles, 10+ homers & 10+ walks over a 20-game span in MLB's modern era:

Babe Ruth, Yankees (1922)
Rogers Hornsby, Braves (1928)
Lou Gehrig, Yankees (1936)
Joe DiMaggio, Yankees (1937)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., @BlueJays (2024) pic.twitter.com/VQPzgi8b6D

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 9, 2024

It's been nearly a month since Guerrero failed to record a hit, considering his streak started on July 14. His 20-game hitting streak is tied for the fourth-longest ever by a Blue Jays batter.

On the whole this season, Guerrero is batting .321 with 23 home runs, 76 RBI and a .945 OPS. He made his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance last month, and he could very well win his second career Silver Slugger Award later this fall.

Guerrero and the Blue Jays wound up taking two out of three against the Orioles, and now they will host the Oakland Athletics for a three-game weekend series. The opener is scheduled to get underway at 7:07 p.m. ET on Friday.

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