About a week ago, I made sly reference to a list of the longest consecutive onbase streaks in team history that I was compiling, and I'll admit it: as the 2006 season has been whimpering meekly in its death throes, I've spent more and more time perfecting and extending the list, and less and less time watching the ineffectual perambulations on the field.
But I can draw it out no further: the list is done, and I'm very proud.
I understand that I'm dealing with fairly esoteric information here. Everybody knows Joe D hit in 56 straight, but even the historically inclined among us sometimes forget The Splinter reached through a hit, a walk, or a plunk in 84 consecutive. Yet at the same time, the sport has seemingly never paid more attention to those who find a way to get on by hook or by crook. . . .
Anyway, the fact remains that as far as I know, this is information about the Houston Astros that has never before been presented. Not by the team, not by the old Astros Connection, not by Astros Daily, not by anyone.
And that's kind of cool; I feel as if I am adding--if only a little--to the sum total of Astros knowledge. Nice to bring something original and new to the table, rather than just another "Lidge is finished" argument.
It is also nice to remind people of the dominance Bagwell and Biggio brought in their heydays. With Bags gone, and Biggio on the downside, a fresh look at just how good those guys once were is certainly not remiss. And Jimmy Wynn is a name only dimly recalled by most Astros fans these days, so it also pleases me that his name was at the top of the list, a reminder.
But, not to diminish their achievements one iota, we already knew about how great Wynn and Bagwell and Biggio were. What gets me about this whole exercise is Greg Gross. 31 years ago, a now-obscure outfielder put together one of the great feats in team history, and no-one even noticed. If Gross is remembered at all these days, it's for the pinch-hitting role he took on with the Phillies, or--maybe--for his Sporting News Rookie of the Year award in 1974. Perhaps a few diehards remember his rally-starting single for the Phils in the eighth inning of Game Four of the 1980 NLCS, but I'd guess not: Luzinski and Rose made much better villains.
No, Gross is pretty much forgotten, and I'm kind of happy that I've unearthed a reason to remember him.
Anyway, seeing how I've rambled yet again, here's a sampling: the top 15 Consecutive Game Onbase Streaks in team history.
Astros Consecutive Game onBase Streaks
Minimum 31 Times Reached In A Season
Sorted by Length of Streak
Year | Player | Length of Streak | Streak Start | Streak End |
Comment | |
1969 | Jim Wynn | 52 | 6/4 | 8/3 | Longest Streak in Houston NL History with Gross; Longest by a Righthander | |
1975 | Greg Gross | 6/25 | 8/18 | Longest in Houston NL History with Wynn; Longest by a Lefthander | ||
1998 | Jeff Bagwell | 44 | 6/10 | 7/29 | Reached in 88 of 90 games from 10-Jun to 18-Sep; Longest Streak of 1998, Longest of the 90's, and Longest by a Houston infielder | |
1998 | Craig Biggio | 41 | 4/17 | 6/3 | ||
1993 | Craig Biggio | 38 | 8/3 | 9/15 | Longest Streak of 1993, and first of club-record (with Bagwell) four 30-+ game streaks | |
1996 | Jeff Bagwell | 37 | 5/14 | 6/22 | Longest Streak of 1996 | |
2004 | Lance Berkman | 7/30 | 9/8 | Reached in 52 of 53 from 7/10 - 9/8; Longest Streak by a Switch-Hitter, and of the 2000's so far | ||
2000-2001 | Richard Hidalgo | 35 | 30 Game Streak to End 2000 and 5 game streak to start 2001 | |||
1970 | Joe Morgan | 33 | 7/3 | 8/9 | Longest Streak of 1970 | |
1993 | Jeff Bagwell | 4/20 | 5/27 | First of club-record (with Biggio) four 30-+ game streaks | ||
Year | Player | Length of Streak | Streak Start | Streak End |
Comment | |
1999 | Jeff Bagwell | 33 | 6/25 | 7/31 | Longest Streak of 1999 | |
2004 | Lance Berkman | 4/28 | 6/2 | Berkman becomes the only player with two 30+-Game Streaks in the same year | ||
1968 | Jim Wynn | 31 | 8/8 | 9/7 | Longest Streak of 1968 and the first 30-Game Streak in Franchise History | |
1996 | Craig Biggio | 7/6 | 8/11 | |||
2006 | Willy Taveras | 7/27 | 8/29 | HBP twice in game that stopped his club-record thirty-game hit streak, then did not reach next game; Went 1 for 9 without a walk in an 18-inning game vs. Chicago 8/15/06; Also Longest Streak in club history from a player who never played in the Astrodome. Will almost assuredly end the season with the lowest OBP of any player in club history who compiled a 30-Game Streak |
If you'd like to delve further, you can find the complete list sorted by date here, and a list of all 20-Game Streaks, sorted by length can be found yonder. There's also some more explanation and some more rambling about Gross, et. al.