When you're a 19 year old rookie in the Brewster Baseball Association, you don't expect to set many records. Unless of course those records are those held to the standards of being a 19 year old rookie. I mean, Mynorli Gaajlimitz already set the record for the being the youngest player in franchise history when he stepped on the field as an 18 year old rookie back in April. But that's not the only record Gaajlimitz has set during his first half a season in a Portland uniform.
In last Saturday's game against Yellow Springs, Gaajlimitz set a Portland record that had stood since 2048. In that game, Mynorli reached base via a base hit for the 22nd consecutive game, surpassing the previous hit streak record of 21 games by Fernando Castillo.
"It's an impressive feat" commented team assistant GM Sandy Mounds. "To get a hit in that many consecutive games is a feat in itself. To do it as a 19 year old rookie is something else. I don't have any facts to back it up, but I'm going to say that this streak might be the longest of anyone under the age of 20!"
And the streak continued on. Over the next 7 games, Gaajlimitz continued to eek out a base hit or combine multiple hits in a game to stretch the streak all the way to 29. Unfortunately, that is where the streak ended for Mynorli. In Sunday's contest verses the Kernels in Des Moines, Mynorli had 6 chances to get a hit in Portland's 6-5 extra innings loss. And on all 6 attempts, he failed.
"I made some hard contact tonight, just right at some people" Mynorli stated after the game. "Sometimes the weak ones find a hole. Sometimes the hard ones land in gloves. That's the game!"
In the game, Gaajlimitz hit two deep fly balls to the outfield and a line drive that registered 103.1 mph off the bat. He hit another, equally as hard, ground ball later in the game but right to the second baseman. Gaajlimitz's final AB of the evening came in the top of the 11th. With a runner at 3B and one out, the Kernels brought the infield in, giving Mynorli even more an opportunity to get a hit. Unfortunately, he hit his weakest ball of the night to the firstbaseman and the run was cut down at the plate.
"Yeah, I didn't come through right there" Mynorli was quoted after the game. "Forget the hit streak. We needed the win and I let the team down."
As for what's in store down the road, Sandy Mounds stated "I don't think we've seen the last hits streak from Mynorli over his career. We may just be getting started!"