South Carolina great Whit Merrifield claims the MLB hit crown for 2018

Even on the final day of the season, two-hit Whit has no quit.

Former South Carolina baseball star Whit Merrifield extended his career-high hitting streak to 20 games in the Kansas City Royals’ last game of the 2018 season on Sunday, and in doing so, he also virtually guaranteed that he will lead all of Major League Baseball in hits for the year.

Merrifield’s ground ball single in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians was his 192nd hit of the season, putting him one ahead of Atlanta Braves frist baseman Freddie Freeman. No other player currently still playing is within five hits of Merrifield, and every game has reached at least the seventh inning.

Merrifield is also set to lead MLB in stolen bases, with 44 this year. There have been just 20 times in major league history where a player has had that many hits and stolen bases in a season. Merrifield is also just one of three players in the past two decades to lead the AL in hits and steals in a season.

The Royals and Merrifield will not make the postseason.

This story was originally published September 30, 2018 at 6:23 PM.