Ketel Marte is really climbing the franchise leaderboard now.
The Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman led off Monday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants with a home run off Tyler Mahle at Chase Field. That swing did more than just give Arizona an early 1-0 lead. It tied Marte with Paul Goldschmidt for second place on the franchise’s all-time hits list.
That’s 1,182 hits in a Diamondbacks uniform. Only Luis Gonzalez (1,337) has more.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today posted the milestone on X after the homer. “Ketel Marte’s leadoff homer ties Paul Goldschmidt for the 2nd-most hits in D-backs’ franchise history with 1,182, trailing Luis Gonzalez with 1,337 hits,” he wrote.
Marte’s 16th homer of the season also pushed his hit total to that tie-breaking mark. Not bad for a guy who started the year already climbing past Goldschmidt in games played for the franchise.
Earlier this season, Marte passed Goldschmidt for second all time in games played too. He’s been steady, durable, and quietly one of the most productive players the Diamondbacks have ever had.
Now he sits 155 hits behind Gonzalez for the top spot. At his current pace, that number isn’t out of reach. It’s a lot of hits, sure. But Marte has been consistent enough that nobody’s calling it impossible.
The moment came during a critical division game too. Arizona led 5-1 in the seventh inning as of this writing. The Giants are clawing for position in the NL West, and every win matters.
Marte has grown from a reliable everyday guy into a franchise cornerstone. That’s not something you can say about many players in Arizona’s relatively short history. The list of truly great D-backs is short. Gonzalez, Randy Johnson, Goldschmidt, Curt Schilling. Marte is forcing his way into that conversation.
And he did it with one swing on a Monday night in Phoenix. Nothing flashy. Just another home run. Just another piece of history.
Leave a Comment