Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas saw his MLB-leading 27-game hitting streak—the longest by a Venezuelan-born player—snapped after going 0-for-4 in Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The streak spanned 24 games this season and three from last year. Vargas expressed pride in the record and plans to start another.
CHICAGO -- Baseball's longest hitting streak in five years ended Saturday afternoon when Ildemaro Vargas went hitless in four at-bats as the Diamondbacks fell 2-0 to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Vargas grounded out to third in the first, flew out to center in the fourth, and grounded out to shortstop in the seventh and ninth innings. He faced left-hander Shota Imanaga in his first three plate appearances and right-hander Ben Brown in the fourth. This marked his first hitless game since September 25, 2025, with the streak running from September 26, 2025, to May 1, 2026—the longest active in MLB at the time. It surpassed Wilson Ramos' 26-game mark for Venezuelan-born players set in 2019 with the Mets and ranks second among Diamondbacks streaks spanning seasons to Luis Gonzalez's 30 games. After extending to 27 games on Friday, Vargas told ESPN, “I'm living a dream right now. I'm taking advantage of my moment, and I've arrived at the right moment. But, honestly, what I really want is that the team continues to have success.” Post-streak, the 34-year-old switch-hitter expressed pride in the achievement and aims to start a new one. Despite the end, Vargas carries a .388/.412/.673 slash line this season, tying his career high with six home runs. He hit safely in all 24 of Arizona's opening games, the best start since Ron LeFlore's 30 in 1970. In his third stint with the Diamondbacks, Vargas has played for seven teams over 10 MLB seasons and had never exceeded 10 consecutive hits before this year.
