Bradley Jr. extends hitting streak to 26 games
The breakout season for Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. continued Saturday with an infield hit in the bottom of the sixth inning, extending his MLB-best hitting streak to 26 games.
Here it is:
I guess some would call that questionable, but I don’t see how you can call what Jason Kipnis had to do there “ordinary effort,” which means it can’t be an error.
It was Bradley’s first chance to extend the streak on the day, as he walked in his first two plate appearances, one of which was intentional. He was intentionally walked again after recording the infield hit.
The 26-game streak equals the longest hitting streak of 2015, which came from Edwin Encarnacion. In 2014, the longest streak was Nolan Arenado‘s 28 and in 2013 the longest was Denard Span‘s 29. As hitters get closer to 30, that’s when it’s generally considered to be serious.
Since 1993, there have only been 13 hitting streaks of at least 30 games, with Jimmy Rollins‘ 38 in 2005 topping the list.
As most baseball fans know by heart, the record is 56, held by Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio.
Back to Bradley. He entered the season a career .213/.290/.349 hitter. This season he’s taken his game to another level, as he now holds a .340/.410/.626 line with 10 doubles, four triples and eight homers. He’s a former top-30 prospect who showed great upside in the minors, and it would appear he’s starting to put it all together in The Show.
As for continuing the streak, Bradley will face a tall order on Sunday. Danny Salazar of the Indians takes the hill in Fenway Park. Salazar has a 1.80 ERA and 1.00 WHIP and has only allowed 4.9 hits per nine innings this season, which is the best in the AL. Bradley is 2 for 4 with a double in his career against Salazar, though, so he’ll have confidence going in.