Streaks

Streaks seem to have more of an impact in baseball. Say the number “56” and baseball fans immediately know that’s the number of games of Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak.

The New York Giants won a record 26 games in a row in 1916 and 101 years later, the 2017 Cleveland Indians lost 22 straight for a streak record.

Dale Long (1956), Don Mattingly (1987) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1993) hold the record for hitting home runs in eight consecutive games and Orel Hershiser has the record for pitching 59 consecutive scoreless innings in 1988.

Streaks are part of the game and it’s no different in the APBA replays we do.

Three winning streaks have played big roles late in my 1965 baseball replay; one has changed the lead in the tight National League pennant race as I approach the final two weeks of the season.

Streak One: Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles are foreshadowing their real 1966 World Series-winning team late in my replay. The Birds, who were consistently five to 10 games below .500 during the entire season, have reeled off 14 straight wins and moved from 7^th place at the start of September 1965 to half a game out of fourth behind the Chicago White Sox.

The Orioles’ bats haven’t been on fire during this streak – the team has a combined batting average of .241 and that’s not counting the pitcher’s appearances at the plate. Outfielder Russ Snyder leads the team during this run with a batting average of .361. Brooks Robinson has batted .322 during the 14-game streak. Despite batting .222, Boog Powell (whom I called “Booger” when I was a kid because his Orioles always seemed to beat my Twins) has two grand slam homers during the streak and third-string catcher Charlie Lau has two home runs in six at bats. The Orioles have seemed to capitalize on hitting at the right time because the hits don’t come that often.

Pitching, though, has been their mainstay. Dave McNally has three wins and a 1.39 ERA in the 14 games and Wally Bunker has pitched two complete game shutouts.

Streak Two: Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates won nine in a row before falling to Cincinnati, 8-3, on Sept. 12, 1965. They’ve since reeled off four more wins and host the Phillies next. They opened their winning run with a three-game sweep in Milwaukee and then took another three games in Cincinnati against the NL-leading Reds. They beat St. Louis 5-4 in 12 innings before returning to Pittsburgh where the Reds took them in the third game of the series. Pittsburgh has since swept the Cardinals and won their first game of a three-game set hosting Philadelphia.

Willie Stargell is the key in this streak. In the 14 games the Pirates went 13-1, he’s hit nine home runs and hit safely in all nine of the games of the Bucs’ first streak. The team is also clutch in extra innings. Before the streak(s), the Pirates were 3-6 in extra inning games. They won the three games that went 10, 12 and 13 innings in their two streaks.

Streak Three: New York Mets

The New York Mets are an ugly team. Currently, they are 38-111 for a grandiose winning percentage of .255. But for a three-game set in Shea Stadium from Sept. 14 to Sept. 16, 1965, they were world beaters.

The Mets, who opened the season on a 12-game losing streak and have lost at least four games in a row 13 times this season (including losing streaks of 12, 11, 9 and 8 games), beat the Reds in all three of their games.

In the first game, Ron Swoboda drove in Roy McMillan on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and pitcher Tom Parsons gave up only four hits in the 1-0 shutout. Reds pitcher Sammy Ellis, who is a contender for the NL Cy Young, struck out nine in his losing effort and dropped to 21-6.

In the second game, the Mets shut out the Reds again. Let me say that again. The Mets actually shut out the Reds in two straight games. This time, Johnny Lewis drove in Swoboda on a sacrifice fly in the second and Ed Kranepool scored on a passed ball by Reds catcher in the sixth inning. Ace Mets pitcher Al Jackson, desperately trying to avoid a 20-loss season, improved his record to 8-18.

And in the third game, New York held on to beat Cincinnati, 6-5. The Reds led 3-0 in the third and it felt like a usual Mets game. But the Mets scored one run in the bottom of the third and then four in the fourth on a conveyor belt of singles, a walk, a batter hit by a pitch and a sacrifice fly. Swoboda singled in his second RBI in the eight to give the Mets a 6-4 lead. Dee Johnson hit a home run for the Reds in the eight to cut the lead by one and crusty pitcher Roger Craig struck out pinch hitter Art Shamsky and Tommy Harper before getting Pete Rose on a popup to end the game.

The three losses for the Reds, coupled with a four-game sweep of the Astros by San Francisco (another streak), propelled the Giants into first place in the close National League.

With the streaks, the NL now looks like this: 1. San Francisco, 88-59; 2. Cincinnati 88-60; 3. Pittsburgh 88-62; 4. St. Louis 85-62, 5. Los Angeles 83-64.

The season wraps up in about two weeks. My wife is away on a visit with her aunt now, so the games come more frequently. I have my own personal streak going now, playing games in 17 consecutive days. (I used to play games every day for a year or so, but I was single and had no other life then).

Will there be more streaks? As the season closes, a three- or four-game winning streak could change everything.