2,000 for Grud

Mark Grudzielanek singled in his first two at-bats, collecting career hit No. 2,000 on the second pitch he saw in his second at-bat.

He is the 251st player in Major League history to reach 2,000 hits and the 18th active player.

He is the sixth player to reach 2,000 in a Royals’ uniform, following George Brett, Hal McRae, Lee May, Amos Otis and Frank White who was the last to accomplish the feat on September 11, 1990.

According to Stats Inc., entering today, 13,098 players had recorded at least one hit in the Majors. That doesn’t include Seattle’s Tug Hulett who got his first big league hit tonight.

Grudzielanek has played for five different organizations, collecting 553 hits with Montreal (1995-1998), 673 hits with the Dodgers (1998-2002), 230 hits with the Cubs (2003-2004), 155 hits with St. Louis (2005), and 389 hits with Kansas City (2006-present).

Mike Aviles congratulates Grudzielanek after the end of the inning (Grud was thrown out at second on a double play).

Grud’s first hit was on May 4, 1995 in the bottom of the 10th inning versus the Mets, when he doubled off lefty Mike Remlinger.

Grudzielanek went 2-for-3 against Seattle lefty Jarrod Washburn and is hitting .391 (25-for-66) against southpaws this season.

Grudzielanek’s two hits give him 29 multi-hit games this season and 564 during his career.

Big congratulations go out to Grud and a big thank you to team photographer Chris Vleisides.

Around the Horn purposely did not mention Grud today to hopefully lift the jinx. We’d like to think we had a little part to play in tonight’s big moment for him. (kidding) But really, Grudzielanek’s first hit of the night snapped a 0-for-7.

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