NEW YORK - Kansas City Royals outfielder Tyler Tolbert smiled late Tuesday night and noted he would allow himself until midnight before moving past one of the most remarkable hitting stretches in baseball history.

His spot in the record books figures to endure far longer.

Tolbert, usually a defensive standout and pinch runner, tied a major league record with hits in 12 straight plate appearances, reaching the mark via an infield single versus the New York Mets for his fifth hit in Tuesday's wild 16-12 comeback win.

Batting ninth, the right fielder launched a two-run homer in the second inning and singled in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. Tolbert's final three hits were all infield singles.

Tolbert matched the record first set by Johnny Kling in 1902 and later tied by Pinky Higgins in 1938, Walt Dropo in 1952 and Jose Miranda in 2024, per ESPN Research. The bat Tolbert used will head to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

"I'm truly lost for words, honestly," Tolbert said. "I don't know. It hasn't really hit me, to be honest."

With an opportunity to surpass the record, Tolbert was retired in the ninth on a fly ball to right against A.J. Minter to finish 5-for-6.

"He's a good pitcher and broke the streak," Tolbert said. "All I can do is just smile. I'm just grateful for the journey and opportunity."

The remnants of the announced crowd of 32,734 gave Tolbert an ovation, and his teammates applauded while gathering on the top step of their dugout. Following the game, the Royals celebrated Tolbert with a champagne toast in the visitors locker room.

"It's nice - I guess everybody's kind of in tune, knowing what was happening," Tolbert said. "I appreciated the fans supporting me and cheering me on, trying to get the next one. When I was on deck, they were like, 'Go for another one. Go for another one.'

"More importantly, just my teammates, man, they were locked in. Just awesome. Look in the dugout and everybody's smiling. Brings a smile to my face, too."

Tolbert, listed at 5-foot-10, was selected by the Royals in the 13th round of the 2019 draft and stole at least 48 bases in every minor league season from 2021 through 2025 before making his major league debut on March 31, 2025.

"I just couldn't be more proud of him, the way he competes," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. "His effort, energy, attitude - he lifts everybody up every day. And for him to have those individual accolades are really special. The way the guys celebrated him right there was really cool."

Tolbert was a career .247 hitter with one homer, seven RBIs and 28 stolen bases in 91 big league games entering Saturday, when he went 2-for-2 against Philadelphia before being lifted for a pinch hitter. He then started at shortstop Monday and went 5-for-5 with a homer, his first of the season.

"He's a spark plug," teammate Nick Loftin said. "I'm happy that he's able to find some success and consistent [at-bats]. Now he's going to Cooperstown."

Tolbert is the first player with consecutive five-hit games since Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, who pulled off the feat Aug. 22-23, 1970.

"It's always good to see your hard work pay off," Tolbert said. "But like I said, back to work [Wednesday]. That's just my mindset."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.