As he batted for the first time Wednesday, Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons had not made an out in six consecutive chances. Before his sixth-inning groundout, he extended the stretch to eight, four from the franchise record.
Still, he finished the night hitting .300 with a .352 on-base percentage and .456 slugging mark. All three numbers are career highs. Simmons’ defense has always made him valuable, but this run is thrusting him into the realm of all-around shortstop stars Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa.
“I won’t say that I’ve figured out hitting, because that’s, like, a cursed thing to say,” Simmons said.