Baseball’s Longest Streaks
By Jimmy Ray
Joe DiMaggio Hits in 56 Straight Games
By the time 1941 rolled around, Joe DiMaggio was widely regarded as the best baseball player in the world. But fans hadn’t seen anything yet. On May 15, 1941, DiMaggio began a streak in which he hit safely in 56 consecutive games. The only players to even hit in 40 straight games are Pete Rose and Wee Willie Keeler.
Cal Ripken’s Consecutive Games Streak
Everybody misses a day of work now and then. A cold, a sick child, a faulty car engine. Something stops everyone from getting to work once in a while. Not Cal Ripken. From 1982 to 1999, Ripken played in 2,632 consecutive games. Ripken broke the sixty year old record held by the legendary Lou Gehrig, who played in 2,130 games from 1925 though 1939.
Orel Hershiser’s Shutout Streak
In 1988, Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser pitched 59 2/3 innings without giving up a run. That is the equivalent of throwing (almost) seven Complete Game Shutouts in a row. To put that in perspective, Chris Carpenter led all of baseball with three shutouts in 2006.
Yankees 5 Straight World Series
Joe Torre came to Yankee Stadium and won four World Series in five years. In the process, he went from mid-level manager to St. Joe of the Bronx. But there is one man in history who led his team to an even more impressive streak. Casey Stengel, who was also a manager with a poor career record when he took over the Yankees, led the Bronx Bombers to five straight World Series Championships from 1949 to 1953. Of course, Casey had Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford to help him out.
Don Mattingly Homers in 8 Straight Games
In 1987, Don Mattingly did the impossible. He hit a home run every time he came to the plate in 100 straight games. No he didn’t. It sure seemed that way, though. Mattingly did, however, hit at least one home run in eight straight games. Donnie Baseball holds the record along with Dale Long and Ken Griffey, Jr. Mattingly gets the top nod because he smacked a total of 10 homers during his streak, while Long and Griffey had only eight.
The Chicago Cubs World Series Drought
The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of the longest World Series drought in baseball history. The last time the Cubbies won it all was 1908. That is ninety-nine years ago, when Teddy Roosevelt was the President of the United States. This season, the Windy City Nine signed the dangerous Alfonso Soriano to a $136 million contract in an effort to avoid a full century of championship futility.
Anthony Young Loses 26 Straight Decisions
Even sadder than the Cubs’ futility is the streak held by Anthony Young. The Mets pitcher lost 26 straight decisions from 1992 to 1993.
Ty Cobb’s 23 Straight Seasons of Hitting Brilliance
Every journeyman player dreams of hitting .300 at least once in his caeer. Ty Cobb did it 23 years in a row. That’s right. From 1906 through 1928, Cobb hit over .300 in every single season. During the streak he also topped .350 sixteen times, and bested .400 three times. Simply stunning.
