Mike Trout Records 1,000th Career Hit on 26th Birthday

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout recorded a double off Baltimore Orioles starter Dylan Bundy in the fourth inning of Monday's 6-2 loss.

The hit marked the 1,000th of his career and it came on a special day, his 26th birthday, per the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com). The star outfielder became just the third player who has debuted in the last 100 years to reach 1,000 hits on his birthday. Both Charlie Moore (1986) and Hal Morris (1998) reached the milestone on a birthday, with each turning 33.

Trout added a solo home run in the sixth inning, his fourth in six birthday games. Among active major league players, only one—Mark Reynolds with six—has more birthday home runs. However, Reynolds has had many more opportunities (11 MLB seasons) than Trout to add to that total, turning 34 last Thursday.

Although Trout's six-week stint on the disabled list—the first of his major league career—in late May for a thumb injury will likely prevent him from winning an MVP award in 2017, he's still posted impressive numbers when healthy. Through 68 games, the New Jersey native has posted a .346/.464/.716 batting line with 23 home runs and 13 stolen bases. Over the course of a 162-game season, that would have put him on a pace for over 50 round-trippers.

Trout is no stranger to MVP talks, having won the award on two different occasions already and finishing runner-up another three times. He also owns five Silver Slugger awards and six All-Star nominations to his name.

With plenty of playing career remaining ahead of him, Trout's early pace should make him a solid bet to reach 2,000 with ease and potentially challenge 3,000 if he sticks around long enough. For now, he will focus on keeping the Angels around in the wild-card race, sitting three games back of the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays following the loss.