PHOENIX -- Diamondbacks shortstop prospect Andrew Velazquez set a minor league record Sunday when he reached base in his 72nd straight game with a single for Low-A South Bend in a 10-7 victory at Fort Wayne.
Velazquez broke a tie with MLB Network host Kevin Millar (1997) and Kevin Youkilis (2003). Both had their streaks with Portland, Boston's affiliate in the Double-A Eastern League.
Next up for Velazquez?
Ted Williams.
Williams holds the major league record after he reached base in 84 straight games for the Red Sox in 1949.
Velazquez, a 5-foot-8, 175-pound switch-hitter, has reached base via a hit, a walk or a hit by pitch in every game since April 22, when he tripled and walked against Dayton. He is slashing .310/.388/.466 with 13 doubles, 13 triples and 40 stolen bases in 89 games, and he leads the Midwest League with 112 hits and 170 total bases. He is second in triples.
Velazquez, seventh-round pick in the 2012 out of Fordham Prep in the Bronx, N.Y., knows exactly what is going on.
"I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't (thinking about the streak) until the at-bat when I get on every game," he told the team's website.
It has been a big week for the Silver Hawks. Right-hander Blayne Weller threw a no-hitter Thursday, allowing an unearned run on two walks while striking out 12. A walk, a stolen base and a throwing error by Velazquez accounted for the only run against in a 7-1 victory over Dayton.
