I know that Major League Baseball is desperate for another feel-good event to get over the all-our-players-use-steroids rap that was dropped in their lap by a government desperate for their own distraction and an opportunity to look effective dealing with something. But just as Tiger Woods didn't win a Grand Slam when he won four consecutive majors over two years, Jimmy Rollins has a one-game hitting streak, not thirty-seven.
A pitcher relief pitcher can't throw nine perfect innings over three games and call that a perfect game. A fielder can't get one guy out at the end of the third and the first out of the fourth and call that a double play. A hitter can't knock in two runs his first time up and two runs his second time up and call that a grand slam.
It's a great thing Rollins has going, this multi-season hit streak. But talking about breaking DiMaggio's record now is ridiculous and nothing but a marketing gimmick for MLB.
I have to disagree with you; the way I've always heard it mentioned is "Joe DiMaggio hit in 56 consecutive games." It's like a consecutive games-played-in streak.
There's even an existing MLB rule (10.24) on it; I was not aware that the streak would be kept intact if the player had no plate appearances due to walks, sacrifices, etc.
"Consecutive Game Hitting Streaks: A consecutive game hitting streak shall not be terminated if all the player's plate appearances (one or more) result in a base on balls, hit batsman, defensive interference or a sacrifice bunt. The streak shall terminate if the player has a sacrifice fly and no hit. The player's individual consecutive game hitting streak shall be determined by the consecutive games in which the player appears and is not determined by his club's games."
It hasn't come up because, as I researched the 40+ 30-game hit streaks, all had been ended within the same season. Go Jimmy!
Posted by: norbizness | April 04, 2006 at 09:40 AM
Sorry to comment again; the examples you give are of temporal events, not streaks: a grand slam, perfect game, and double play are all defined by the exact time they happen.
Posted by: norbizness | April 04, 2006 at 09:42 AM
See, you went and did research. I flew off the handle, where I remain. Acutally, I did do a tiny bit of googling around and was surprised to see that DiMaggio's streak was sometimes refered to without the "single-season" in there. I grew up with that phraseology pounded into my head by my dad.
LeMew told me that he heard that if Rollins does hit 21 this season but not 56, they'll put both records in the book, which is good and right.
the examples you give are of temporal events, not streaks: a grand slam, perfect game, and double play are all defined by the exact time they happen.
I know. But I just can't get my head around being allowed to take a winter off for this particular acheivement to mean anything. It's as silly to me as all the silly examples I gave.
The record hardly means anything as it is really. So a guy hits in every most of those games or if he ends up hitting .250 over the stretch, what good is it? The only thing that's remotely cool about DiMaggio's record is that he did it in one season.
Posted by: eRobin | April 04, 2006 at 01:19 PM
And that, while in the minors, Joltin' Joe had a 61-game hit streak.
The ex-players on ESPN last night seemed to think a winter off would actually make the streak harder, not easier, because you want to play every day if you're hot.
Posted by: norbizness | April 04, 2006 at 03:22 PM