Dickerson Sets Cardinals' Hits Record

As Ted Williams said, you only have to succeed three times out of ten to be considered a successful hitter in baseball, which makes Corey Dickerson’s performance this week particularly spectacular. Today, the Cardinals’ outfielder capped off a great series by setting a franchise record for base hits in consecutive at-bats, recording his ninth and tenth hits in a row.

That's nine hits in nine plate appearances for Corey Dickerson, a new Cardinals record! pic.twitter.com/u1sY5M21xK

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 25, 2022

Dickerson’s streak started on Tuesday, when he recorded hits in each of his last four at-bats in a 13-3 blowout of the Chicago Cubs. The next day, he put up a perfect 4-for-4 batting line, but this time his teammates’ bats went quiet and the Cubs took the game 7-1. He then set the record today in the first inning of the series finale, with an RBI single against Marcus Stroman. Two innings later he added another base hit against Stroman for good measure, a groundball single up the middle. His streak finally ended in the fourth inning when he hit into a fielder’s choice with runners on the corners. He struck out in his next at-bat, but kept his hot streak going with a triple in the top of the eighth. Dickerson has always been a great contact hitter, with a .282 batting average to show for it, but he’s taken it to another level this week, and will likely be named the NL Player of the Week for his efforts.

In his last 10 ABs, Corey Dickerson is 10-for-10! 😱 pic.twitter.com/b7RVNdz6ro

— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2022

The Cardinals are surging since the All-Star break, with 8 wins in their last 10 games and a firm lead in the NL Central pennant race, but they’re certainly grateful for any extra production they can get from their outfield. Their offense has been great, but it has mostly been carried by their star corner infielders, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, who are both having monster seasons. Their regular outfielders, Dylan Carlson, Tommy Edman and Tyler O’Neill, have all under-performed relative to their numbers last year. With the playoffs on the horizon, the Cardinals will hope that Dickerson’s incredible streak will spark improved performances from the rest of their secondary players.

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports