Two weeks ago I took a look at some of the top hitting streaks in professional baseball.  Two weeks later, it’s worth taking another quick look.

What drew my attention a couple weeks ago was the active streak of minor leaguer Mitch Hilligoss who at the time had hit safely in 38 straight games for the Class-A Charleston River Dogs to break the South Atlantic League record and tie himself for 14th longest hit streak in minor league history.  Hilligoss’ streak would end that next day but such was not the case with Columbus Clippers (AAA) outfielder Brandon Watson who at the time had extended his own streak to 30 straight games. 

After collecting his fourth consecutive multi-hit game on Saturday, Watson has now hit safely in 42 straight games to tie the International League record set 95 years ago by Jack Lelivelt.  The 42 games also ties Watson with Lelivelt and Herbert Chapman for the 11th longest hitting streak in minor league baseball history and is the longest streak in the minors since Howie Bedell hit safely in 43 straight for Big Springs (LHL) in 1961.

Top 15 Minor League Hitting Streaks All-Time

On the big league side, when I looked two weeks ago Ichiro Suzuki had just extended his streak to 25 straight games, the longest in the majors this year and the longest now in Seattle Mariner history.  Like Hilligoss, Ichiro’s streak would end the very next day which left his teammate Yuniesky Betancourt with the longest active streak in the majors at 15 games.  Betancourt would extend his streak to 20 games before he was done and that streak moved him into the top ten in Mariner history, bumping Ichiro’s 19-gamer from 2003. 

Top Ten Hitting Streaks in Seattle Mariner History

Then again, after collecting his major league leading 32nd multi-hit game of the season on Saturday, Ichiro has now hit safely in 12 straight games.  Look out Yuniesky.

That’s not the longest current streak in the majors, of course.  After going 1-for-4 on Saturday, the Indians Casey Blake has now tied Ichiro for the longest streak in the majors this season at 25 straight games.  It also moved him past Matt Williams – who hit safely in 24 straight back in 1997 – for the 8th longest streak in Cleveland Indians history and is the longest streak by any Cleveland player since Sandy Alomar Jr. hit safely in 30 straight, also in ’97.  The Indians club record of 31 straight games was set by Napoleon Lajoie in 1906, 101-years ago. 

Top Ten Hitting Streaks in Cleveland Indians History

Following Blake, the second longest active hit streak in the majors belongs to David Wright who has hit safely in 17 straight games following his 1-for-5 in the Mets 11-8 loss to the Yankees on Saturday.  Wright of course hit safely in the first 14 games of the season to give him a two-year, 26-game streak.

Top Ten 2007 Major League Hitting Streaks (through 6/16)