Hitting Streaks

[nymr83]

should hitting streaks "count" if they are over multiple seasons?
When i says "counts" i mean should they get listed in the record books.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I think so.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I can't think of a single reason why not.

[Guest iramets]

Well, that settles that.

[nymr83]

i'd count it too, but baseball has said in the past they wouldn't then said they would when Rollins was streaking to start last year. Whats the argument against?

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Nymr83 wrote: i'd count it too, but baseball has said in the past they wouldn't then said they would when Rollins was streaking to start last year. Whats the argument against?

Racism, obviously.

[Guest iramets]

The argument against is that hitting streaks represent daily pressure, and four months of lying in the sun, with sissy umbrella drinks and regular blowjobs, seems to violate that principle.

[Guest cooby]

Crudely put, but I kinda agree.

[Willets Point]

iramets wrote: four months of lying in the sun, with sissy umbrella drinks and regular blowjobs.

What is a player is doing all those things during the season?

[Guest Edgy DC]

What is a player supposed to do?

Is Cal Ripken's consecutive games played streak actually Frank Taveras', then?

[metirish]

I have no argument against it but I didn't like the Rollins streak and I don't like Wrights streak being counted back to last season,maybe Ripkens could have been consecutive seasons played.

[Willets Point]

Just make "single-season streaks" and "multi-season streaks" different entries in the record books and all problems are solved. Of course, a record for a single-season consecutive games played streak is pretty dull since lots of guys have managed 162, and those who have 163 or 164 is credit to their team playing extra tiebreakers more than any greater hardiness they have over a guy who played 162.

[Frayed Knot]

I don't have a problem with multi-year streaks.
Seems odd to negate a streak just because it starts say in mid-August rather than in mid-May. If limited to a single season anything not started by around Aug 1 would automatically be excluded from even challenging DiMaggio's record.

And I don't but the "increased pressure" argument.
** (ooh, ball boy gets smoked by hot bad bounce at Dodger/Padre game)**
The supposed pressure on Wright (or anyone) wouldn't begin until nearing the mark anyway. This same argument was used with Tiger and golf's 'Grand Slam' a couple years back. He held the title to all four majors but did so in 2, 3, 4, and then next year's 1 order. Now if golf wants to define their GS as winning all four in one year that's up to them, but I certainly don't see 'The Tiger Slam' - as it was dubbed - as being any easier simply because of the starting point.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's easy enough to argue that there's as much or more pressure in April for most players than there is in September. April also gives us some of the worst hitting conditons.

[nymr83]

is the league BA consistently lower in April?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, that's a good question. Adverse hitting conditions don't necessarily mean lower batting averages, and that's the only number that matters in this context.

MLB Batting Average by Month,
2001-2007

Season	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP
2006	.265	.268	.270	.279	.270	.265
2005	.262	.263	.271	.268	.263	.261
2004	.268	.264	.267	.266	.272	.262
2003	.261	.264	.270	.266	.263	.262
2002	.258	.258	.262	.266	.263	.260
2001	.260	.264	.270	.264	.266	.260
Average*	.262	.264	.268	.268	.266	.262

*Averages obtained by averaging the averages from each year.The data suggest that Wright has done his streaking during the toughest hitting-for-average months of the year. I don't know how much September numbers are swung by the presence of September pitchers, but that must be largely offset by the presence of September batters.

[Vic Sage]

does the streak include post-season games? If not, why not?
as long as we're going to count a "streak" that has a 5-month hiatus, why should a post-season game not count?

And Ripken's record is, by its nature, a multi-year record... a hitting streak is not.

[stevejrogers]

OlerudOwned wrote: ="Nymr83"]i'd count it too, but baseball has said in the past they wouldn't then said they would when Rollins was streaking to start last year. Whats the argument against? Racism, obviously.

Or Anti-Yankee bias. Too many Yankee/DiMaggio haters probably wanted to ensure that Joe D be removed from the top of the hitting streak records!

[stevejrogers]

Vic Sage wrote: does the streak include post-season games? If not, why not? as long as we're going to count a "streak" that has a 5-month hiatus, why should a post-season game not count? And Ripken's record is, by its nature, a multi-year record... a hitting streak is not.

They actually did this for Orel Hersisher's continuing his streak of scoreless innings that was on-going when the 1988 season ended, and no they didn't count the fact that it ended in the 9th inning of Game 1 of the NLCS!

Ironically the innings streak was snapped in the very first inning of Hershiser's first game of 1989! But MLB did declare that any additional innings would have been tacked onto Orel's streak, which 2/3rds actually were that day in 1989.

Interesting questing arises from Retrosheet.org, why was Tim Belcher the opening day starter for the Dodgers in 1989 and NOT the CY Young winner Orel Hershiser? The only answer I can think of is that they wanted to do the rotation in such a way that Orel started on Opening Day in LA, but that doesn't hold because Belcher started Opening Day at Dodger Stadium!

Strange.

[metirish]

I forgot that everything really is about the fucking yankees....

[stevejrogers]

metirish wrote: I forgot that everything really is about the fucking yankees....

No, I think I do remeber a lot of consternation that if MLB kept the records seperate that was being considered trying to "protect" DiMaggio's record, the same way the seperation of 154 and 162 was seen as "protecting" Ruth's record.

[metirish]

Sorry Steve,not a dig at you,just sick of the idea that everything yankees is sacred.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Vic Sage wrote: And Ripken's record is, by its nature, a multi-year record... a hitting streak is not.

Except when it is. The nature of the Ripken "streak" is such that it can't be exceeded within a year, so of course those consecuctive games are counted beyond a year. But DiMaggio's streak is such that over one third of all attempts also could not exceed it within a season. One third of all comers eliminated through no fault of their own.

There's no reason to carefully choose words to reflect poorly upon the player.