SAN DIEGO — Gabriel Moreno won the first batting title in Diamondbacks history, though he probably did not wrap up the feat the way he would have liked.
Moreno did not play on Sunday, Sept. 27, in the Diamondbacks’ season finale against the San Diego Padres. He was in the initial lineup but was scratched before the game due to a left hamstring injury.
The Diamondbacks were eliminated from playoff contention before their game ended when the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-3, to clinch the final National League wild-card position.
Moreno's .311 batting average finishes just ahead of the Phillies’ Luis Arraez, who hit .310. Neither Moreno nor Arraez played on the season’s final day; Arraez missed the last three games with an ankle
injury.
Moreno becomes the first catcher to win a batting title since Buster Posey did so for the San Francisco Giants in 2012. He is the fifth different catcher to win a batting title since 1900.
The Diamondbacks had two runner-up finishes for batting titles. Luis Gonzalez hit .336 in 1999, falling well short of the Rockies’ Larry Walker (.379), and Ketel Marte hit .329 in 2019, percentage points behind the Brewers’ Christian Yelich, who also hit .329.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno wins 1st batting title in franchise history
