Update: Lexington Legends slugger ends up tied for home run record

UPDATE: Since this article was originally published, Dylan Rock made his attempt at a ninth consecutive game with a home run on Friday night. The Lexington Legends slugger went 0-for-3 in an 8-7 loss at Southern Maryland and will go down in history as the most recent professional baseball player to hit homers in eight straight games.

An obscure but exciting baseball record could fall Friday night when the Lexington Legends take the field against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.

Lexington outfielder Dylan Rock has homered in eight consecutive games. If he makes it nine on Friday night at Waldorf, Maryland, he’ll become the first player at any level of professional baseball to achieve that feat.

The most recent professional baseball player to hit home runs in eight consecutive games before Rock was Justin Foscue, a minor leaguer in the Texas Rangers organization in 2021.

Only three major leaguers have achieved the feat: Ken Griffey Jr. with the Seattle Mariners in 1993, Don Mattingly with the New York Yankees in 1987, and Dale Long with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1956. Former Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto homered in seven consecutive games in 2021.

At the major league level, this is considered one of the most difficult home run records to break.

The Legends play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent minor league that operates under a partnership with Major League Baseball. Lexington is not affiliated with any major league teams.

While Rock isn’t racking up dingers against MLB-level heat, this is still an extremely rare feat.

Prior to Rock, the ALPB record for consecutive games with home runs was six, set in 2023 by Leobaldo Cabrera of Spire City (Maryland).

Rock’s streak began June 18 against the Gastonia (North Carolina) Ghost Peppers. He homered again June 19 in the series finale at Gastonia. He then went deep in three consecutive home games against the High Point (North Carolina) Rockers June 20-22. After a day off June 23, Rock resumed his pursuit with home runs June 24-26 at home against the Charleston (West Virginia) Dirty Birds. Rock’s first-inning solo shot Thursday night came during an 11-10 Legends loss to Charleston.

Rock’s outbreak has sparked a Legends resurgence. Lexington has won seven of its last 10 games and stands 28-26 on the season, eight games behind first-place High Point in the ALPB South Division.

Friday’s game at Southern Maryland gets underway at 6:35 p.m.

If you’d like to watch the game live, here’s where you can catch it.

Rock entered Friday tied for third in the ALPB with 13 home runs on the season. Mason Martin of the Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Stormers has the league lead with 18 long balls in 2025.

Rock is in his first year with the Legends. The former Texas A&M standout was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB draft. His highest ascendance up baseball’s development ladder was 33 games with Toronto’s Class AA team in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 2023. He spent last year playing high Class A ball in Vancouver.

The 26-year-old native of Sugar Land, Texas, is batting .267 with 31 RBI in 51 games this season for Lexington.

The history of the record

Players who have hit home runs in eight consecutive games, a record Lexington’s Dylan Rock will attempt to break Friday night:

Major league players

▪ Ken Griffey, Seattle Mariners — July 20-28, 1993

▪ Don Mattingly, New York Yankees — July 8-18, 1987

▪ Dale Long, Pittsburgh Pirates — May 19-28, 1956

Minor league players

▪ Dylan Rock, Lexington Legends — June 18-June 26, 2025

▪ Justin Foscue, Hickory (N.C.) Crawdads — July 9-21, 2021. (Foscue’s first HR in the streak came in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League before he was promoted to Hickory)

Rock’s home run streak

▪ June 18 at Gastonia — Ninth inning vs. Bryce Schares (solo)

▪ June 19 at Gastonia — Sixth inning off Justus Sheffield (solo)

▪ June 20 vs. High Point — Sixth inning off Cooper Casad (one on)

▪ June 21 vs. High Point — First inning off Pat Gardner (one on)

▪ June 22 vs. High Point — First inning off Jonah Scolaro (one on)

▪ June 24 vs. Charleston — Fifth inning off John Henriquez (solo)

▪ June 25 vs. Charleston — Eighth inning off Frank Moscatiello (solo)

▪ June 26 vs. Charleston — First inning off David Lebron (solo)

This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 12:46 PM.