Throw the bat at the ball ... and get a hit?

You’ve heard of throwing your hands to the ball -- that’s just basic fundamentals. But what about throwing your bat to the ball?

During Thursday’s series opener between the Rays and Mariners at T-Mobile Park, Tampa Bay outfielder Randy Arozarena did just that for an improbable single.

Facing right-hander Justin Dunn and behind in a 1-2 count, Arozarena literally threw his bat at an 82.1 mph curveball that was nowhere near the strike zone and practically in the left-handed batter’s box.

But it worked, as the ball rolled down the third-base line with the bat bouncing nearly as far up the first-base line. The speedy Arozarena made it without a throw from third baseman Ty France for the game’s first hit. He’d steal second base two pitches later.

Arozarena followed his unlikely hit with a monster two-run home run in the fourth inning as part of his 3-for-4 day, including two runs scored and a stolen base. He extended his hitting streak to 12 games in Thursday’s 6-5 walk-off loss.

“Three knocks, one infield single and then the breaking ball that just shows how powerful he is,” manager Kevin Cash said postgame. “He was out front, the barrel was out front, but he's still strong enough to pull it out of the ballpark for a big home run at the time.”

After Cleveland’s Eddie Rosario wound up with an accidental bunt single on a pitch headed for his face on Wednesday, it’s fair to say there are some bad-ball hitters emerging. Vladimir Guerrero Sr. would be proud.