Double06 reminded me about Mickey Lopez a few hours ago. For some reason, Mickey Lopez is a guy who's stuck in my head all this time. Lopez, you might remember - but probably don't - was an infielder the Mariners brought north at the end of the 2004 season for a cup of coffee. He wound up appearing in six games, going 1-4 with a single.
He didn't just go 1-4 with a single, though. He went 1-4 with an infield single on a grounder to second base. He went 1-4 with an infield single in the final at bat of his season, and the final big league at bat of his career. He went 1-4 with his first and final hit. Remember how happy we were for Jamie Burke when he hit his first big league homer in the last game of the 2007 season at the age of 36? Mickey Lopez got his first big league hit in the last game of the 2004 season at the age of 30, after playing 1,160 games in the minors.
I can't find a good place to look up whether or not Mickey Lopez is the only player in Major League history to record an infield single as the only hit of his career. But if he isn't the only one, he's got to be one of few.
Edwin Jackson will tell his grandkids about his no-hitter. Eric Chavez will tell his grandkids about his 230 home runs. And Mickey Lopez will tell his grandkids about his one Major League single off Francisco Cordero in his and Edgar Martinez's final game. One Major League single that he only picked up by putting his head down and running as hard as he could.
Good for you, Mickey Lopez.