At 34 years old, Ildemaro Vargas is proving that age is just a number in baseball. The Arizona Diamondbacks' veteran utility infielder is currently in his fourth stint with the team, and he's putting together a season for the ages.
Vargas leads all of Major League Baseball with a scorching .378 batting average, but that's just the beginning of his incredible story. He's currently riding three separate historic hitting streaks that have captured the attention of fans across the league.
Despite the Diamondbacks falling 13-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, the switch-hitting Vargas delivered two more hits, extending his season-opening hit streak to 23 games. According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, that ties him with Atlanta Braves legend Édgar Rentería for the second-longest hit streak to start a season since 1940. Rentería went on to make his fifth and final All-Star appearance that year.
Here's a look at the longest hitting streaks to open a season over the last 90 years:
• Ron LeFlore (1976): 30 games
• Gee Walker (1937): 27 games
• Ildemaro Vargas (2026): 23 games (active)
• Édgar Rentería (2006): 23 games
• Joe Torre (1971): 22 games
Vargas needs to hit safely in just seven more games to tie LeFlore's record, set during the Detroit Tigers star's lone All-Star campaign in 1976.
But the hitting heroics don't stop there. Vargas' second streak dates back to last season, giving him hits in 26 consecutive appearances overall—the longest active streak in the majors. That also ties the longest streak ever by a Venezuelan player, matching Wilson Ramos' 2019 run with the New York Mets.
His third streak is one for the Diamondbacks' history books. Vargas has now hit safely in 19 straight road games, a franchise record that surpasses Junior Spivey and Stephen Drew for the longest road-game hitting streak in Arizona history, according to the Arizona Republic.
At an age when many players start to slow down, Vargas is writing a remarkable comeback story that reminds us why we love this game. Whether you're a Diamondbacks fan or just appreciate baseball history, this is a streak worth watching.