The Cuban player Yandy Díaz etched his name in the history books of the Tampa Bay Rays this Saturday by hitting his 1,000th hit while wearing the franchise's uniform, becoming only the fourth player to achieve this since the team's founding.
The milestone was achieved in the first inning of the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field, with a single to right field off pitcher Tanner Bibee. The hit traveled at 100.2 mph and covered 135 feet, according to journalist Francys Romero. The Rays won the game 3-0, with Nick Martinez pitching six scoreless innings.
With that unstoppable hit, the Cuban first baseman joins an exclusive group of four players who have reached a thousand hits with the franchise throughout its history:
- Carl Crawford – 1,480 hits
- Evan Longoria – 1,471 hits
- Ben Zobrist – 1,016 hits
- Yandy Díaz – 1,000 hits
Díaz is the first Cuban to join that select group in a franchise founded in 1998, making it even more significant that only four batters have reached that milestone in its relatively short history.
"Another brand that understands Yandy's legacy in MLB," Romero wrote while highlighting the Cuban's achievement among the greats of a franchise that counts Crawford and Longoria as its two greatest offensive legends.
The baseball player from Sagua la Grande, Villa Clara, finished the game with a line of 2-4 and one run scored, solidifying a particularly productive 2026 season since the beginning.
On May 5th, Díaz connected hit number 997 of his total MLB career, leaving him just three away from reaching the milestone and becoming the 20th Cuban to achieve this feat in Major League history, according to the specialized portal Pelota Cubana USA.
Díaz arrived in Tampa Bay in December 2018 through a trade from Cleveland, the team with which he made his MLB debut on April 3, 2017. Since his first season with the Rays in 2019, he established himself as one of the most consistent hitters in the organization.
The 2025 season was his best home run campaign, with 25 home runs and 83 runs batted in, and in September of that year, he reached 100 career home runs in Major League Baseball.
The 2026 season started explosively for the Cuban player, who recorded 12 hits in his first 28 at-bats (.429 batting average) in the first six games, including a game of 5-4 with four RBIs on March 29 against the Cardinals.
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