Luis Arraez has 120 plate appearances without a strikeout

SEATTLE — Luis Arraez is moving closer and closer to history.

During the Padres’ 7-3 win against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night, Arraez did not strike out — for the 26th consecutive game. The Padres’ infielder hasn’t fanned since Aug. 10, extending his current streak to 120 plate appearances without a single K.

Arraez is still 50 plate appearances shy of Tony Gwynn, whose 170 straight PA without a strikeout in 1995 remain a Padres record. Next up for Arraez is Juan Pierre, who went 147 plate appearances between strikeouts in 2004 — the longest streak this century. Overall, Gwynn holds the fifth-longest streak since the start of the expansion era in 1961. According to Elias, the only players in that time with a longer stretch of plate appearances without a strikeout are Dave Cash (223 PA, 1976), Nellie Fox (186 PA, 1962), Bill Buckner (184 PA, 1972) and Greg Gross (173 PA, 1980).

Not only did Arraez not strike out Tuesday, he finished 3-for-5 to move into a three-way tie with Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz and Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for second in MLB with 17 three-hit games this season. (Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. has the most, with 19). Arraez, the 2022 American League and ’23 National League batting champion roped singles in the third, seventh and ninth innings.

“He’s got tremendous bat control, and he can hit virtually anything,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “You feel like you want to expand? Go ahead. He’s got an amazing ability to hit the ball where it’s pitched. He can obviously hit a ball that’s center cut, but he can hit a ball 4 inches below his knee or 3 inches off the plate … It doesn’t really matter.”

On Tuesday, Arraez jumped on early offerings before Seattle’s pitchers could get to expanding. All three of his hits came within the first two pitches of the at-bat. All three came on fastballs — four-seamers from George Kirby and Eduard Bazardo, and a cutter from Austin Voth. And all three were belt-high, over the middle of the plate.

“The bat-to-ball skill is really impressive,” Shildt said. “The competition — this guy really competes very well with the bat. He’s got a really good idea of what he’s doing and what the pitcher’s trying to do.”

And in this current K-less streak, Arraez has been even hotter than normal. Since his last strikeout, the lefty has batted .383 with a league-leading 44 hits.

“It’s amazing when you have a guy like that in front of you,” Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. said. “He’s so fun to watch, and I’m really grateful that he’s hitting leadoff right in front of me.”