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The Cuban baseball player Yandy Díaz hit a single this Tuesday in the victory of the Tampa Bay Rays over the Toronto Blue Jays (4-3) and reached 997 hits in his Major League career, leaving him just three hits away from reaching the thousand mark.
The milestone of 1,000 hits is a historic achievement for Cuban players in MLB. By reaching this mark, Díaz would become the 20th Cuban to reach that figure in Major League history, according to Pelota Cubana USA.
The first baseman from Sagua la Grande is having an elite 2026 season: a batting average of .320, an on-base percentage of .406, an OPS of .886, five home runs, and 22 runs batted in.
In the game on Tuesday against Toronto, Díaz also scored a run in the eighth inning that was part of the Rays' comeback to win 4-3.
The Cuban's season start has been outstanding. In his first six games of 2026, he batted .429 with 12 hits, including a game with five hits in six at-bats on March 29 against the Cardinals.
As of April 27, Díaz was one of the Cubans with the best averages in the American League, boasting a .337 batting average, 35 hits in 104 at-bats, four home runs, and 20 runs batted in over 27 games.
The Rays arrive at this moment with a record of 23-12, leading their division with four consecutive wins, and Díaz has been a key player in that collective performance.
The player made his MLB debut on April 3, 2017, and has accumulated nearly a decade of consistency in Major League Baseball, with a lifetime batting average of .290 over 936 games.
His best individual season came in 2023, when he won the batting title of the American League with a .330 average. In 2025, he batted .300, ranking sixth in the American League, with 83 runs batted in and 31 doubles.
The Tampa Bay Rays exercised the 12 million dollar option for 2026 in March 2025, as part of an extension signed in 2022. There is also a 13 million dollar clause for 2027 if the player reaches 500 plate appearances in the current season.
Among the Cubans who have surpassed 1,000 hits in MLB are legends like Rafael Palmeiro (3,020, the only one to reach 3,000), Tony Pérez (2,732), Bert Campaneris (2,249), Minnie Miñoso (2,113), and Tony Taylor (2,007).
With the pace he’s maintaining in 2026, it is expected that Yandy Díaz will reach a thousand hits in the coming days, adding his name to the list of Cuban players who have made a mark in Major League history.
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