Back from the bigs and extending the streak

When Indianapolis shortstop Jordy Mercer slapped a one-out single to center field in the bottom of Monday's sixth inning, it extended his Triple-A hitting streak to nine games -- a streak that started over five weeks earlier.

Monday was Mercer's first game with the Indians since May 28, when the infielder went 2-for-4 with a double and scored a run against the Durham Bulls, extending his hitting streak to eight games. Following that game, Mercer was called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first major league appearance of his career.

"It was a dream come true," Mercer said of getting the call. "It's something that you dream of, you know, when you're little, and to actually go up and do it ... it was something that I'll always remember. It was a pretty cool feeling.

"My wife was with me [when I got the call] so I got to tell her, and then immediately call my parents and they got a flight the next day and were there for my first start and my first hit," Mercer added.

That first start and first hit coincided. After going 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in his major league debut, Mercer started the next game and picked up his first career major league hit, a single.

There were no good photos of Mercer hitting on Google Images, so here he is fielding a groundball for the Pirates.

"I had a little bit of jitters," Mercer said of trying to record that first big league hit. "I wanted to get it out of the way early. I wanted to not have to worry about it. It doesn't always work that way, but [this time] it did. I just got something out over the plate and put the barrel on it and it found a hole."

That hit ended up being the only one of Mercer's big league stint as he appeared in just five games for the Pirates and batted .111 (1-for-9) with a run scored. When he returned to Indianapolis, however, Mercer got right back into the swing of things, going 1-for-3 in his first game back -- his ninth-straight Triple-A game with a hit.

Mercer said on Tuesday that he didn't realize his single had extended his enduring streak.

"I had no idea. When you're up for a month, I guess you just kind of forget about those things," Mercer said with a laugh. "I'm just trying to get back into the flow of things and help the team."

That team he's trying to help has made strides in recent weeks when Mercer was in the majors, but the Indians will no doubt be happy to have Mercer back in the lineup. During his hitting streak, which started back on May 20 with a 2-for-4 performance at Buffalo, Mercer is batting .417 (15-for-36) with two doubles, a home run, four RBI and 10 runs scored.

"We were good when I was here, too, but I guess when I left they turned it on and played really well," Mercer said. "I'm hoping to keep things going here and we'll see where it takes us."

Mercer is looking forward to getting back into the rhythm of playing every day, but warns it may take some time to shake off the rust.

"It's going to be a little different, I guess, for just a few weeks. My timing's going to be a little off both at the plate and in the field," Mercer said.

Rusty or not, Mercer is looking forward to contributing on a team that holds a 9.5-game lead in the International League West and appears playoff-bound for the first time since 2005.

"It's good to be back out there," Mercer said. "It's good to have fun. It's one thing that's an enjoyment in my life, playing every day and being on the field and just having fun like a little kid. That's what I enjoy the most and what I'm looking forward to getting back into."

Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com and has recently brought his fauxhawk back from the dead. You can contact him a therainesdelay@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Michael__Raines.