PHOENIX — Last week in Los Angeles, amid a ridiculous late-season tear by the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani , Padres infielder Luis Arraez did something he hadn’t done all season: The man nicknamed “La Regadera” (“The Sprinkler”) went hitless in three consecutive games. It was, of course, an anomaly. Sunday at Chase Field, Arraez set a career-high with his 32nd double, finished his regular season hitting .
314 and thus became the first player in major-league history to win three consecutive batting titles with three different teams. Meanwhile in Denver, Ohtani finished second in the National League in batting average, at .310, and thus fell short of claiming the first Triple Crown by an NL player since 1937.
That's .314 for King Luis 👑 pic.twitter.
com/r33Mc806nh — San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 29, 2024 “He can do a lot of good things, man,” Arraez said of Ohtani on Saturday. “He’s different.” So is Arraez.
At a time when the pure contact hitter is nearly extinct, he stands alone as an artist seemingly transported from an earlier era. Earlier this season, for example, Arraez went 141 straight plate appearances without striking out. It was the longest such streak in 19 years.
And it was the kind of skill set that has all but disappeared. Advertisement In 2022, Arraez hit .316 to win his first batting title.
A few months later, the Minnesota Twins , who originally signed him out of Venezuela for $40,000, traded him to the Miami Marlins . In 2023, Arra.