San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado reached a rare career benchmark on Monday evening, recording his 2,000th career hit in a home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The achievement came in the fourth inning when Machado delivered a ground ball to the left side that made its way into the outfield. As he stood on first base, the home crowd responded with a prolonged ovation.
Machado had entered the game two hits away from the milestone. He started the night with a single in the first inning and capped off his performance with a home run in the eighth, finishing 3-for-5. The Padres ultimately fell to Arizona 6–3, but the evening was marked by personal achievement rather than the final score.
This latest hit places Machado among an exclusive group of active players. He becomes just the fifth currently playing in Major League Baseball to reach the 2,000-hit mark. The others are Freddie Freeman, Jose Altuve, Paul Goldschmidt, and Andrew McCutchen.
Machado’s blend of power and consistency over his career adds weight to the accomplishment. He has now joined a select list of players who have tallied both 2,000 hits and 350 home runs by their early 30s. His home run Monday marked his 357th, reinforcing his standing as one of the league’s most durable and productive hitters.
Drafted in 2010 and debuting in 2012 with the Baltimore Orioles, Machado spent parts of seven seasons in Baltimore before a brief stint with the Dodgers. Since signing with San Diego in 2019, he has collected 950 hits with the franchise, placing him in the upper tier of the team’s all-time hit leaders.
Though he has continued to post strong numbers this season—including a .293 batting average and 15 home runs—Machado acknowledged that chasing the milestone added pressure. He had been in a slump heading into Monday’s game, and admitted after the contest that the chase had been mentally taxing. Still, reaching the mark in front of the home crowd made it especially meaningful.
With eight seasons remaining on his current contract, Machado is in a position to climb even higher on the all-time hit list. To reach 3,000 hits—one of baseball’s most elusive achievements—he would need to average just over 110 hits per year for the remainder of his deal. Given his track record for staying healthy and producing, that target is within range.
In addition to his milestone, Machado was recently named the starting third baseman for the National League All-Star team. His consistency on both sides of the ball continues to earn him respect across the league.
While Monday’s game ended in defeat for the Padres, Machado’s personal accomplishment was a moment of celebration. His performance served as a reminder of the steady excellence he’s brought to the field for more than a decade—and hinted that more achievements may lie ahead.
Image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license and was created by Ryan Casey Aguinaldo.
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