MLB: Daniel Susac’s instant hot streak

Daniel Susac needed only 7 at-bats to turn himself into a baseball curiosity. The San Francisco Giants catcher opened his Major League career 6-for-7, and on Tuesday, April 7, he lined a two-run triple against the Philadelphia Phillies that pushed the Giants to a 6-0 win. (mlb.com) (espn.com) That kind of start is rare enough that it immediately pulls old records into the conversation. ESPN’s game recap said Susac became the first player to begin a Major League career 5-for-5 since Ted Cox did it for the Boston Red Sox in 1977, before Susac’s streak ended later in the same game with a flyout. (espn.com) (cbssports.com) The details of the burst make it even louder. In his first Major League start on Thursday, April 2, Susac collected 3 hits and reached base in every plate appearance, giving the Giants an instant jolt from a player who had debuted only one day earlier on April 1. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) Five days later, he followed that debut week with another three-hit game. The April 7 highlight package from Major League Baseball showed Susac finishing with 3 hits, including the two-run triple in the eighth inning, and ESPN listed him at 6-for-7 with a walk through his first two big-league games. (mlb.com) (espn.com) Part of the intrigue is that Susac is not some anonymous emergency call-up. Major League Baseball’s player page lists him as a first-round pick by the Oakland Athletics in 2022 out of the University of Arizona, and Baseball-Reference identifies that selection as the 19th overall pick. (mlb.com) (baseball-reference.com) He is also doing this at a premium position. Susac is a catcher, which means the Giants are not just weighing a hot bat but also the demands of handling pitchers, receiving pitches, and managing a game plan that usually takes young players longer to master than swinging the bat. (mlb.com) (espn.com) That is why a 6-for-7 line lands differently from, say, a bench outfielder getting hot for two nights. When a catcher produces immediately, every hit can start nudging lineup decisions, because managers have to balance offense with the daily wear of one of baseball’s toughest jobs. (mlb.com) (espn.com) There is also a transaction backstory here. Susac entered professional baseball in the Athletics organization, but by April 2026 he was in the Major Leagues with the Giants, which adds another layer to the attention because fans notice quickly when a former first-round pick starts producing for a new club. (mlb.com) (baseball-reference.com) The warning label is the same one baseball always attaches to April numbers. Seven official at-bats is too small a sample to tell anyone whether Susac is suddenly a star, and even his April 7 triple came off a 96.8 mile-per-hour fastball that left his bat at 75.1 miles per hour and traveled 240 feet, which is a reminder that early results can outrun the underlying quality of contact. (mlb.com) But small samples still matter when they arrive at the exact moment a team is looking for offense. The Giants improved to 4-8 with the win over Philadelphia on April 7, so a catcher giving them immediate production stands out more on a club trying to climb out of an early hole. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) For fans, that is what makes Susac worth watching over the next week rather than just the next highlight. If he keeps putting together competitive at-bats after opening 6-for-7 with 1 walk in his first 2 Major League games, the story shifts from fun trivia to a real roster and playing-time conversation in San Francisco. (espn.com) (cbssports.com)