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The Longest OnBase Streaks In Team History

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.