Fact Check: Has anyone batted .400 in a season in the 21st century? Milestone mark examined as Luis Arraez closes in

Luis Arraez is having a special season with the Miami Marlins in 2023. The hitter is chasing MLB history with his batting average.

Arraez has racked up 132 hits and three home runs in 351 at-bats with a .376 batting average. He's attempting to reach the .400 mark for the season, a feat that no batter in the MLB has achieved in the 21st century.

Interestingly, the last player to hit .400 for a season was Ted Williams in 1941 while playing for the Boston Red Sox. While many have tried to reach the mark since then, none have succeeded so far.

However, Arraez is the closest any player has come in a long time to reach the .400 batting average for a season. However, he still needs to climb up the ladder and maintain that haul for the remainder of the second half of the campaign.

Interestingly, Arraez was recently over the .400 mark, but his numbers dipped over the last few weeks. Here are some of the highest batting averages in a season for players in the 21st century:

• Todd Helton – .372 batting average for the Colorado Rockies (2000)
• Nomar Garciaparra – .372 batting average for the Boston Red Sox (2000)
• Ichiro Suzuki – .372 batting average for the Seattle Mariners (2004)
• Barry Bonds – .370 batting average for the San Francisco Giants (2002)

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Can Luis Arraez and Miami Marlins qualify for MLB playoffs in 2023?

Miami Marlins star Luis Arraez

The Miami Marlins are third in the NL East with a 53-44 record. Skip Schumaker's team is eight games behind divisional leaders Atlanta Braves and still in contention for the playoffs.

Although there's still a long way to go in the second half of the MLB season, Miami needs to get its act right quickly to remain in the hunt for the postseason. While Luis Arraez will have one eye on personal glory, his primary aim will be to help the Marlins reach the playoffs.