Ben Zobrist's Historic 10 RBI Day Extends Tampa Bay Rays' Winning Streak to Five

Ben Zobrist was given the nickname "Zorilla" by Joe Maddon. His performance in the Tampa Bay Rays doubleheader on Thursday against the Minnesota Twins gave credibility to the name.

Zobrist went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a three-run home run, two runs scored and a stolen base in the first game. He also set a new Tampa Bay Rays record with eight RBIs.

It didn’t take long for him to add to his total for the day in the second game.

On his first at-bat, Zobrist belted a two-run home run. With 10 RBIs on the day, Zobrist was three shy of the Major League record for RBIs in one day, according to Baseball Almanac. He currently is the Major League leader with 25 RBIs.

Following the historic day Zobrist said, "This must be what it's like to feel like Sam Fuld."

Zobrist’s accomplishments helped more than his individual achievements.

The two wins extended the Rays winning streak to five games. It also brings the team to 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the American League East Division lead.

The winning streak is a vast improvement from the team’s dismal 0-6 start to the season.

The historic day also capped a historic turnaround as the Rays are the only team other than the 1991 Mariners to lose their first six games and get back to .500 in April since 1900.

The Rays victory in the second game also marked Jeff Niemann’s first win of the season. Niemann entered the game 0-3 in his first four starts with a 7.08 ERA. Niemann pitched seven remarkable innings for the Rays only giving up one run on two hits.

The wins also marked a milestone for Rays manager Joe Maddon. His record as Rays manager is now 418-417, marking only the second time he has owned a winning record in his Rays career. The only other time he had a winning record was on April 16, 2006 when the team started 7-6 in his rookie season.

Next up for the Rays is a series against the Angels in their dome sweet home of Tropicana Field.