Vargas extends season-opening hitting streak to 24, finishes game above .400

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas extended his season-opening hitting streak to 24 consecutive games on May 1, 2026, going 4-for-4 with a walk in a 6-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, raising his batting average to a Major League-high .404. The 24-game streak is the second-longest to open a season since 1940, trailing only Ron LeFlore's 30-game streak for the Tigers in 1976. Vargas also set a record as the longest hitting streak by a Venezuelan-born player, surpassing Wilson Ramos' mark of 26 games set with the Mets in 2019.