Hitting streak

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Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 is the longest in Major League Baseball history. 1939 Playball Joe Dimaggio (minus halftone).jpg
Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 is the longest in Major League Baseball history.

In baseball, a hitting streak is the number of consecutive official games in which a player appears and gets at least one base hit. According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is not necessarily ended when a player has at least 1 plate appearance and no hits. A streak shall not be terminated if all official plate appearances result in a base on balls, hit by pitch, defensive interference or a sacrifice bunt. The streak shall terminate if the player has a sacrifice fly and no hit. [1]

Contents

Joe DiMaggio holds the Major League Baseball record with a streak of 56 consecutive games in 1941 which began on May 15 and ended July 17. DiMaggio hit .408 during his streak (91-for-223), with 15 home runs and 55 runs batted in. [2]

Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks holds the Major League Baseball postseason record with a streak of 20 consecutive games, with the streak beginning in his first playoff game appearance. [3] The streak began in 2017 on October 14 and was broken up in Game 5 of the 2023 World Series on November 1st, striking out as the final batter for Arizona as the Texas Rangers won the series. Marte hit .352 during his streak (31-for-88), with 3 home runs and 13 runs batted in. [4]

Major League Baseball records

There have been 55 occurrences in Major League Baseball where a player had a hitting streak of at least 30 games. [5] Multiple streaks in the same season have occurred in 1922 (George Sisler and Rogers Hornsby), 1987 (Paul Molitor and Benito Santiago), 1997 (Nomar Garciaparra and Sandy Alomar Jr.), 1999 (Vladimir Guerrero and Luis Gonzalez), 2006 (Chase Utley and Willy Taveras), and 2011 (Andre Ethier and Dan Uggla). In addition, 1924 included one whole streak (Sam Rice) and the beginning of another (George Sisler). A similar event occurred in 2006 with two whole streaks (Utley and Taveras) and the end of another (Jimmy Rollins).

RankPlayerTeamGamesYear(s)
1 Joe DiMaggio New York Yankees 561941
2 Willie Keeler Baltimore Orioles 45 (44)1896–97
3 Pete Rose Cincinnati Reds 441978
4 Bill Dahlen Chicago Colts 421894
5 George Sisler St. Louis Browns 411922
6 Ty Cobb Detroit Tigers 401911
7 Paul Molitor Milwaukee Brewers 391987
8 Jimmy Rollins Philadelphia Phillies 38 (36)2005–06
9 Tommy Holmes Boston Braves 371945
10 Gene DeMontreville Washington Senators 361896–97
11 Fred Clarke Louisville Colonels 351895
Ty Cobb Detroit Tigers 351917
George Sisler St. Louis Browns 35 (34)1924–25
Luis Castillo Florida Marlins 352002
Chase Utley Philadelphia Phillies 352006
16 George McQuinn St. Louis Browns 341938
Dom DiMaggio Boston Red Sox 341949
Benito Santiago San Diego Padres 341987
19 George Davis New York Giants 331893
Hal Chase New York Highlanders 331907
Rogers Hornsby St. Louis Cardinals 331922
Heinie Manush Washington Senators 331933
Dan Uggla Atlanta Braves 332011
24 Harry Heilmann Detroit Tigers 321922–23
Hal Morris Cincinnati Reds 321996–97
26 Jimmy Wolf Louisville Colonels 311885–86
Ed Delahanty Philadelphia Phillies 311899
Napoleon Lajoie Cleveland Naps 311906
Sam Rice Washington Senators 311924
Vada Pinson Cincinnati Reds 311965–66
Willie Davis Los Angeles Dodgers 311969
Rico Carty Atlanta Braves 311970
Ron LeFlore Detroit Tigers 31 (30)1975–76
Ken Landreaux Minnesota Twins 311980
Vladimir Guerrero Montreal Expos 311999
Whit Merrifield Kansas City Royals 31 (11)2018–19
36 Cal McVey Chicago White Stockings 301876
Dusty Miller Cincinnati Reds 301895–96
Elmer Smith Cincinnati Reds 301898
Tris Speaker Boston Red Sox 301912
Charlie Grimm Pittsburgh Pirates 301922–23
Lance Richbourg Boston Braves 301927–28
Sam Rice Washington Senators 301929–30
Goose Goslin Detroit Tigers 301934
Stan Musial St. Louis Cardinals 301950
George Brett Kansas City Royals 301980
Jerome Walton Chicago Cubs 301989
Sandy Alomar Jr. Cleveland Indians 301997
Nomar Garciaparra Boston Red Sox 301997
Eric Davis Baltimore Orioles 301998
Luis Gonzalez Arizona Diamondbacks 301999
Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals 302003
Willy Taveras Houston Astros 302006
Moisés Alou New York Mets 302007
Ryan Zimmerman Washington Nationals 302009
Andre Ethier Los Angeles Dodgers 302011
Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves 302016

Keeler's streak started in his final game of the 1896 season, and continued through the first 44 games of the 1897 season. Rollins ended the 2005 season with a 36-game streak and extended it through the first two games of the 2006 season. Sisler had a hit in the last game of 1924 and the first 34 games of 1925. Major League Baseball recognizes two hitting streak records: Longest hitting streak in one season, and longest hitting streak over multiple seasons (e.g. Rollins 2005–2006). [6] Keeler's, Sisler's, and Rollins' streaks are listed as 44, 34, and 36 games when discussing single-season streaks, and 45, 35, and 38 games when discussing multiple-season streaks.

This list omits Denny Lyons of the 1887 American Association Philadelphia Athletics, who had a 52-game hitting streak. [7] In 1887, the major leagues adopted a new rule which counted walks as hits, a rule which was dropped after that season. Lyons hit in 52 consecutive games that season, but his streak included two games (#22 and #44) in which his only "hits" were walks. In 1968, MLB ruled that walks in 1887 would not be counted as hits, so Lyons' streak was no longer recognized, though it still appears on some lists. In 2000 Major League Baseball reversed its 1968 decision, ruling that the statistics which were recognized in each year's official records should stand, even in cases where they were later proven incorrect. Paradoxically, the ruling affects only hit totals for the year; the batting champion for the year is not recognized as the all-time leader despite having the highest single-season average under the ruling, and Lyons' hitting streak is not recognized.

Ty Cobb, Sam Rice, and George Sisler are the only players with multiple streaks of 30 games or longer.

There have been 129 single-season streaks of 25 games or more. The lowest batting average ever recorded during a hitting streak of 25 games or more was .304 by Bruce Campbell in 1938. The highest was .486 during Chuck Klein's streak in 1930. Joe DiMaggio hit .408 during his record-holding 56-game streak. [8] In probability theory, every baseball game is a Bernoulli trial in which a hitter either does or does not get a hit. DiMaggio's streak of 56 consecutive games with hits awaits an equal streak: "The probability is .0003 that a .350 hitter will have a hitting streak of at least 56 games in a season. If there are about four such seasons per year in the future, such a streak would be expected, assuming the Bernoulli trials model, every 1/(.0003 x 4) = 833 years." [9]

Postseason

Key

*Active Hitting Streak
Active Player during 2023 MLB Season
Member of Baseball Hall of Fame

Source: [10]

RankPlayerTeam(s)GamesYear(s)
1 Ketel Marte Arizona Diamondbacks 202017–2023
2 Hank Bauer New York Yankees 171956–1958
Derek JeterNew York Yankees2003–2004
Manny Ramirez Boston Red Sox 2003–2004
5 Pat Borders Toronto Blue Jays 161991–1993
Michael Brantley Houston Astros 2020–2021
7 Alcides Escobar Kansas City Royals 152015
Marquis Grissom Atlanta Braves 1995–1996
Rickey Henderson Oakland Athletics 1989–1990

Major League Baseball records by franchise

Only currently extant franchises are included on this list. Where a player had a significant streak while the team was in other than its current city, the records in these other cities are displayed. As above, for a multi-year streak, the single-season streak is shown in parentheses. [11]

TeamPlayerGamesYear(s)
Arizona Diamondbacks Luis Gonzalez 301999
Atlanta Braves Tommy Holmes (Boston Braves)371945
Dan Uggla (Atlanta Braves)332011
Hank Aaron (Milwaukee Braves)251956
Baltimore Orioles George Sisler (St. Louis Browns)411922
Eric Davis (Baltimore Orioles)301998
Boston Red Sox Dom DiMaggio 341949
Chicago Cubs Bill Dahlen (Chicago Colts)421894
Chicago White Sox Carlos Lee 282004
Cincinnati Reds Pete Rose 441978
Cleveland Guardians Napoleon Lajoie (Cleveland Naps)311906
Sandy Alomar Jr. (Cleveland Indians)301997
Colorado Rockies Nolan Arenado 282014
Detroit Tigers Ty Cobb 401911
Houston Astros Willy Taveras 302006
Kansas City Royals Whit Merrifield 312018–19
Los Angeles Angels Garret Anderson 281998
Los Angeles Dodgers Willie Davis (Los Angeles Dodgers)311969
Zack Wheat (Brooklyn Dodgers)291916
Miami Marlins Luis Castillo (Florida Marlins)352002
Milwaukee Brewers Paul Molitor (Milwaukee Brewers)391987
Tommy Davis (Seattle Pilots)181969
Minnesota Twins Heinie Manush (Washington Senators)331933
Ken Landreaux (Minnesota Twins)311980
New York Mets Moisés Alou 302007
New York Yankees Joe DiMaggio 561941
Oakland Athletics Bill Lamar (Philadelphia Athletics)291925
Jason Giambi (Oakland Athletics)251997
Héctor López (Kansas City Athletics)221957
Vic Power (Kansas City Athletics)221958
Philadelphia Phillies Jimmy Rollins 38 (36)2005–06
Pittsburgh Pirates Jimmy Williams 271899
San Diego Padres Benito Santiago 341987
San Francisco Giants George Davis (New York Giants)331893
Jack Clark (San Francisco Giants)261978
Seattle Mariners Ichiro Suzuki 272009
St. Louis Cardinals Rogers Hornsby 331922
Tampa Bay Rays Jason Bartlett 192009
Texas Rangers Gabe Kapler (Texas Rangers)282000
Ken McMullen (Washington Senators)191967
Toronto Blue Jays Shawn Green 281999
Washington Nationals Vladimir Guerrero (Montréal Expos)311999
Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals)302009

Minor League Baseball records

The longest streaks in the history of Minor League Baseball and other professional baseball leagues: [12]

RankPlayerLeagueGamesYear(s)
1 Joe Wilhoit Western League 691919
2 Joe DiMaggio Pacific Coast League 611933
3 Román Mejías Big State League 551954
4 Otto Pahlman Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League 501922
Francisco Mejia Carolina League 502016
6 Jack Ness Pacific Coast League 491915
Harry Chozen Southern League 491945
8 Johnny Bates Southern League 461925
9 James McOwen California League 452009
10 Brandon Watson International League 432007
Doc Marshall American Association 431935
Orlando Moreno Longhorn League 431947
Howie Bedell American Association 431961
14 Herbert Chapman Southeastern League 421950
Jack Lelivelt International League 421912
16 Jim Ogelsby Pacific Coast League 411933
Randy César Texas League 412018
18 Jason James Frontier League 402009
Frosty Kennedy West Texas–New Mexico League 401953
20 Jose Siri Midwest League 392017
21 Mitch Hilligoss South Atlantic League 382007
Hubert Mason Eastern League 381925
Paul Owens PONY League 381951
24 Maikel Jova North American League 372012
Johnny Rizzo American Association 371937
Joey Cora Pacific Coast League 371989
Bobby Treviño Texas League 371969
Harold Garcia Florida State League 372010
29 Bill Sweeney International League 361935
Joe Altobelli Florida State League 361951
31 Brent Gates California League 351992
Scott Seabol South Atlantic League 351999
Kevin Holt Frontier League 351996–97
Ildemaro Vargas Pacific Coast League 352018
35 Greg Tubbs Southern League 331987
Mat Gamel Florida State League 332007
37 Chris Valaika Pioneer League 322006
Robert Fick Midwest League 321997
Lance Downing Arizona League 321997
Jim Reboulet Eastern League 321986
41 Kevin Hooper Pacific Coast League 312002
Casey Blake Florida State League 311998
Jeremy Carr Texas League 311997
Pedro Guerrero Pacific Coast League 311979
45 Desi Wilson Golden Baseball League 302005
Mike Galloway Frontier League 302005
Ricardo Nanita Pioneer League 302003
Michael Robertson Frontier League 302001
Doug Brady American Association 301995
Jose Tolentino Pacific Coast League 301990

DiMaggio set the Minor League record as a member of the San Francisco Seals. Unrecognized by Minor League Baseball is the 69 game hitting streak by Joe Wilhoit in 1919. Wilhoit was in the independent Western League at the time and his record is considered the all-time Professional Baseball record. [13]

College Baseball records

PlayerTeamClassificationGamesYear(s)
Damian Costantino Salve Regina NCAA Division III602001–03
Robin Ventura Oklahoma State NCAA Division I581987
Kevin Pillar [14] Cal State Dominguez Hills NCAA Division II542010
Tommy Stewart Southern Arkansas NAIA 541995

College Softball records

PlayerTeamClassificationGamesYear(s)
Rebeca Laudino Florida Southwestern State College NJCAA482019
Sara Graziano Coastal Carolina NCAA Division I431993–94
Heather Bortz Moravian NCAA Division II442003–04
Jocelyn Alo Oklahoma Sooners NCAA Division I402020–2021
Kerstein McVicker Hampton NCAA Division III351991
Robin Martz Lewis NCAA Division II352004

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe DiMaggio</span> American baseball player (1914–1999)

Joseph Paul DiMaggio, nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "the Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Born to Italian immigrants in California, he is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time and is best known for setting the record for the longest hitting streak in baseball, which still stands today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Sisler</span> American baseball player and coach (1893–1973)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak</span> Baseball hitting streak

During the 1941 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, New York Yankees center fielder Joe DiMaggio recorded at least one hit in 56 consecutive games, breaking the MLB record for the longest hitting streak. His run lasted from May 15 to July 16, during which he had a .408 batting average. DiMaggio's streak surpassed the single-season record of 44 consecutive games that had been held by Willie Keeler since 1897, and the longest streak spanning multiple seasons, also accomplished by Keeler. The record remains held by DiMaggio and has been described as unbreakable.

References

  1. "Official Rules: 10.00 The Official Scorer, Rule 10.23(b)" (PDF). Major League Baseball . Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  2. "Joe DiMaggio Hitting Streak by Baseball Almanac". Baseball Almanac . Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  3. "D-backs' Ketel Marte hits in record 18th straight postseason game".
  4. "Ketel Marte Postseason Batting Game Log".
  5. "Consecutive Games Hitting Streaks: 30+ Game Hitting Streaks in Baseball". www.baseball-almanac.com.
  6. "Phillies' Rollins extends streak to 36 games". ESPN.com. 2 October 2005.
  7. "Hitting Streaks, 30 Games or More". Archived from the original on April 9, 2006. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  8. Neyer, Rob (6 August 2011). "For the Braves' Uggla, Luck Is Not a Statistic". The New York Times via NYTimes.com.
  9. C.M. Grinstead, W.P. Peterson & J. Laurie Snell (2011) Probability Tales, page 37, American Mathematical Society ISBN   978-0-8218-5261-3
  10. "Postseason Hitting Streaks".
  11. http://baseballevolution.com/richard/hitting_streaks.xls Richard Van Zandt, BaseballEvolution.com, http://baseballevolution.com/richard/hitstreaks.html . The article and research are dated June 2009; retrieved March 8, 2012.
  12. Peng, Michael (2016-08-14). "Mejia's run ends while Bradley's rolls on". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  13. Bob Rives (January 2000). "Joe Wilhoit and Ken Guettler: Minor league hitting record-setters" (PDF). The Baseball Research Journal. pp. 121–125.
  14. "Kevin Pillar Makes NCAA Division II History With 50 Game Hit Streak as Toros Sweep Doubleheader – Cal State Dominguez Hills". gotoros.com. May 2010.