Phils' Rollins extends streak to 36 games

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print

WASHINGTON -- Jimmy Rollins stretched his hitting streak to 36 games Sunday in Philadelphia's regular-season finale against Washington -- and can pursue Joe DiMaggio's major league record of 56 next year.

Sort of.

For the purpose of baseball records, Rollins' hitting streak will extend into 2006, and he can add to it. The major league marks for longest hitting streak in one season and longest hitting streak spanning two seasons are separate records, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

DiMaggio holds both marks with his 56-game streak in 1941, but there is a difference in the National League records: Pete Rose (1978) and Willie Keeler (1897) share the NL mark at 44 games. However, Keeler got a hit in his final game of 1896, so his run of 45 games overall is the first record Rollins can chase, Elias said.

"Not worried about next year right now," Rollins said after Philadelphia beat Washington 9-3 but finished a game behind Houston in the NL wild-card standings. "Worried about getting my garage cleaned."

His fourth-inning single just went by diving second baseman Jamey Carroll's glove. It was the first hit off Nationals starter Hector Carrasco, who retired his first nine batters.

The hitting streak is the ninth-longest in big league history, and the longest in the majors since 1987, when Paul Molitor hit safely in 39 consecutive games. The old Phillies franchise recordof 31 was set by Ed Delahanty in 1899.

"I haven't had time to think about it," Rollins said. "When I get a chance to sit back and maybe watch some news coverage and talk about things like that, maybe I'll appreciate it. It's too early right now, personally."

Rollins hit .385 (62-for-161) during the streak. He lined out leading off Sunday's game, when first baseman Nick Johnson made a leaping grab, and doubled in the fifth. He walked in the sixth, grounded out in the eighth and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth.

His last game without a hit was Aug. 22, when he went 0-for-4 against San Francisco. Rollins' average was .262 after that game, and he finished the year at .290.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print
• Subscribe