Tony Eusebio, Hit Anything - 5

Originally published Aug. 19, 2016

Tony Eusebio looked hit all the way in this June 1998 game, according to The Associated Press.

The result, according to The AP: A late two-run single that helped his Astros to a 4-3 win.

"In that situation, you hit anything that's around the plate," Eusebio told The AP. "You have an advantage. He might try to throw the fastball early. You don't let one get by and said, 'Hey, that's the one that I wanted.'"

Eusebio ended up hitting in nine major league seasons. In 2000, it seemed he didn't stop hitting. The catcher amassed a 24-game hitting streak over 51 days, then a franchise record.

Eusebio's career began in 1985, signed by the Astros as an amateur free agent out of his native Dominican Republic.

Eusebio played briefly for the Astros' Gulf Coast League team in 1985, then returned for 1987. He made single-A Osceola in 1988, AA Columbus in 1989 and then AAA Tucson in 1991.

He also first made Houston in 1991, getting into 10 games. He picked up two hits in 19 at bats.

Eusebio then spent 1992 and 1993 back in the minors. He returned to the bigs in 1994 and began to get regular playing time. He got into 55 games that year and hit .296.

He hit two home runs in a June 1994 game, helping his team to a win againstt he Giants. He then picked up four hits and four RBI in a July 1994 game against the Cardinals.

Eusebio then got into an overall career-high 113 games in 1995. He hit .299. He continued with the Astros for 1996 to 1998, getting lesser playing time, including 66 games in 1998.

In April 1998, though, he played and hit the game-winning double in the ninth on an outside pitch, according to The AP.

"It was a good pitch for me, I like it out there," Eusebio told The AP afterward.

Eusebio got into 103 games in 1999, then 74 in 2000. His 2000 campaign also saw that hitting streak. He picked up his 23rd-consecutive game with a hit in late-August, hitting a double in Montreal to tie the club record.

''I didn't know the record streak for the Astros was 23 games,'' Eusebio told The AP afterward. ''When you play the game, you don't pay too much mind to it."

Eusebio returned for one more season, 2001. He got into 59 games, hitting .253, ending his career.

• Norwalk Hour, Associated Press, April 27, 1998: Franco suffers that sinking feeling
• CBSNews.com, Associated Press, June 3, 1998: Astros' 3-Run Seventh Stops Padres
• Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Associated Press, Aug. 28, 2000: Hot-hitting Eusebio propels Astros past Expos