Houston Astros Hitting Streaks

THE KING IS DEADLONG LIVE THE KING
Jeff KentWilly Taveras
25 games - no longer the recordTeam-record 30 games on August 27, 2006!
Jeff Kent sets mark at 25 in 2004Willy T sets new mark!

30 Willy Taveras, 2006
.349 avg
(c) Houston Astros
 In his second year in the majors, center fielder Willy Taveras knocked 45 hits in a 30-game streak spanning from July 27th to August 27th (32 days). His best performances during the streak were two three-hit games at Arizona on August 4th and 6th.

The streak: 


                                                                     +-- Season -+
Date      Opp   AB   R   H  2B  3B  HR RBI  TB  BB  SO  SB  CS HBP   OBP  SLG  AVG

07/27/06  CIN    1   0   1   0   0   0   1   1   0   0   0   0   0  .309 .314 .260
07/28/06  ARI    5   1   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   1   0   0   1  .309 .313 .259
07/29/06  ARI    4   0   2   0   1   0   2   4   0   1   1   0   0  .311 .321 .262
07/30/06  ARI    3   2   1   0   0   0   0   1   1   0   1   0   1  .315 .321 .263
08/01/06 @SD     4   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   1   0   0   0  .315 .320 .263
08/02/06 @SD     5   0   1   0   0   0   1   1   0   0   0   0   0  .313 .318 .262
08/03/06 @SD     4   1   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0   0   0  .313 .318 .262
08/04/06 @ARI    6   1   3   0   0   1   2   6   0   1   1   1   0  .316 .329 .266
08/05/06 @ARI    4   1   2   1   0   0   0   3   1   0   0   0   0  .319 .334 .269
08/06/06 @ARI    4   1   3   0   0   0   0   3   1   0   0   0   0  .326 .339 .274
08/08/06  PIT    2   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   1   1   0   0   0  .328 .340 .275
08/09/06  PIT    4   2   1   0   0   0   0   1   1   0   0   0   0  .329 .339 .275
08/10/06  PIT    4   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   1   2   0   0   0  .330 .338 .275
08/11/06  SD     5   0   2   0   0   0   0   2   0   0   2   0   0  .331 .339 .276
08/12/06  SD     5   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   3   0   0   0  .329 .336 .275
08/13/06  SD     4   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   1   0   0  .328 .336 .275
08/14/06  CHC    5   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   2   0   0   0  .327 .334 .274
08/15/06  CHC    9   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   1   0   0   0  .322 .329 .270
08/16/06  CHC    4   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0   0   0  .322 .328 .270
08/17/06 @MIL    4   1   2   0   0   0   0   2   1   0   1   0   0  .325 .330 .273
08/18/06 @MIL    4   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   1   0   0  .324 .329 .272
08/19/06 @MIL    4   2   2   1   0   0   1   3   0   0   2   0   0  .326 .333 .275
08/20/06 @MIL    5   1   2   0   0   0   0   2   0   1   0   0   0  .327 .334 .276
08/21/06 @CIN    4   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0   1   0  .326 .333 .276
08/22/06 @CIN    4   0   2   0   0   0   0   2   0   0   0   0   0  .327 .335 .278
08/23/06 @CIN    4   1   1   0   0   0   0   1   1   0   0   0   0  .328 .334 .278
08/24/06 @PIT    4   1   2   1   0   0   0   3   1   0   1   0   0  .331 .338 .280
08/25/06 @PIT    5   0   3   0   0   0   0   3   0   1   2   0   0  .334 .341 .283
08/26/06 @PIT    5   1   1   1   0   0   0   2   0   0   0   1   0  .333 .342 .282
08/27/06 @PIT    4   2   2   1   0   0   0   3   1   0   1   0   0  .335 .345 .284

Streak Totals  129  18  45   5   1   1   7  55  10  16  14   3   2  .441 .426 .349  OPS=.867

25 Jeff Kent, 2004
.358 avg
(c) Houston Astros
In his second year with the team, second baseman Jeff Kent went on a hitting tear, collecting 33 hits in a 25-game streak spanning from May 14th to June 11th. His best performance during the streak was a 3-hit game on May 22nd in Cincinnati. Kent collected 15 extra-base hits and watched his season batting average climb from .285 to .315 during the 29-day streak.

24 Tony Eusebio, 2000
.409 avg
(c) Houston Astros
A perennial backup catcher, "Tough Tony" nevertheless made his mark in franchise history with a team-record 24-game hitting streak. Because he was a backup, the streak lasted from July 9 to August 28, a span of 51 days and 45 games. He batted .409 during the streak, collecting 36 hits in 88 at-bats, including a four-hit game on August 14. The 24-game streak was the fifth-longest by a major-league catcher since 1900.

23 Moises Alou, 2001
.415 avg
(c) Houston Astros
One of the best players ever acquired by trade, outfielder Moises Alou's 23-game hitting streak began on June 22 and ended with an 0-for-3 performance on July 19, falling one short of the club record. During the streak, Alou batted .415, collecting 34 hits in 82 at-bats to go with an impressive 22 RBI. With his six homers and six doubles, Alou's slugging pct was a hefty .707 during the streak, and his .489 on-base pct was high as well. In his last chance to extend the streak on July 19, Alou drew a 9th-inning walk after fouling off three pitches.

23 Luis Gonzalez, 1997
.351 avg
(c) Houston Astros
In his second tour with the team, left fielder Luis Gonzalez tied a club record with a 23-game hitting streak. The streak started May 26 and lasted through June 20. A "lean" streak, Gonzalez collected a single hit in each of the last eight games, which ended with an 0-for-3 performance on June 21. Gonzalez has referred to these games as his ".250 streak", even though he batted .351 during the 23 games, collecting 33 hits in 94 at-bats. Gonzalez finished the season with just a .258 average, cranking out 31 doubles while collecting 68 RBI.

23 Art Howe, 1981
.460 avg
(c) Houston Astros
A multi-talented infielder that would eventually manage the team, Art Howe set a team record with a 23-game hitting streak in the strike-shortened 1981 season. The streak lasted from May 1 to May 24, and was instrumental in Howe earning "NL Player of the Month" honors for May. During the streak, Howe batted a phenomenal .460, collecting 40 hits in 87 at-bats. Extra-base hits included nine doubles, two triples and one home run.

22 Cesar Cedeno, 1977
.398 avg
(c) Houston Astros
One of the great players in franchise history, Cesar Cedeno set a club mark with a 22-game hitting streak in 1977. The streak lasted from August 25 to September 21, earning him "Player of the Week" honors for Sept 5-12. Cedeno was also named "Player of the Month" for September. "C.C." picked up an impressive 37 hits in 93 at-bats to post a .398 average during the streak. He also stole an incredible 21 bases during the streak. But it was "all or nothing" for Cesar at the plate. In the first nine games of the streak, he had only 9 hits in 35 at-bats for a scrawny .257 average. But in the following nine games, Cedeno exploded for 22 hits, nine for extra bases, in 41 at-bats for a .537 batting average and a 1.024 slugging pct. His best performances during the streak were back-to-back four-hit games against the Reds during which Cedeno hit two triples, three homers and drove in 5 runs. Cedeno had a 19-game streak in 1976, making him the only player in team history with two streaks of such length.

21 Lance Berkman, 2001
.482 avg
(c) Houston Astros
Young superstar Lance Berkman began an incredible 21-game hitting streak on June 17 that lasted until the All-Star break. He picked up a single in the All-Star Game, but the streak officially ended on his next game, on July 12th, when he went hitless in two at-bats against San Diego. Over the streak, Berkman picked up almost two hits per game, going 41-for-85 for a .482 average. His patient eye garnered him plenty of walks, raising his on-base pct during the streak to an amazing .541. His nine homers, ten doubles, and a lone triple gave him a .941 slugging pct. Berkman was named co-Player of the Week for June 18-24 and hit home runs in four consecutive games from June 25-29, one short of Cliff Johnson's club record. His best game was a 4-for-6 performance on June 21 which included two homers and a double.

21 Dickie Thon, 1982
.309 avg
(c) Houston Astros
Before Dickie Thon had his incredible breakthrough season in 1983, he came within two games of tying the clubs hit-streak record owned by Art Howe. His 21-game streak lasted from July 24 to August 14 and ended with an 0-for-5 performance at Cincinnati. During the streak, Thon batted a puny .309, collecting 29 hits in 91 at-bats. For the season, Thon finished with a .276 average, 31 doubles, 10 triples, and 37 stolen bases.

21 Lee May, 1973
.407 avg
(c) Houston Astros
Only with the team for three seasons, slugging first baseman Lee May's 21-game hitting streak set a club record in 1973. The streak lasted from May 30 to June 22. During the streak, May batted .407, collecting 35 hits in 86 at-bats. The streak included his 1000th career hit during a 3-for-5 performance on June 17. His best game came in San Diego on June 21 when May tied a club record by launching three homers. In the four-game span from June 17 to June 21, May drove in 13 runners. One curiosity is that, during the 21-game streak, May failed to draw a single walk. But on the day that the streak ended, May went hitless in two at-bats while drawing two walks (one intentional).

20 Kevin Bass, 1986
.383 avg
(c) Houston Astros
A solid outfielder with power and speed, Kevin Bass enjoyed his finest season in 1986. Fresh from his first All-Star appearance, Bass's 20-game streak started on July 22 and lasted until August 13. During the streak, Bass batted .383, collecting 31 hits in 81 at-bats. The streak included his first career five-hit game on July 24, and a pair of three-hit games during the streak on August 5 and August 11.

20 Rusty Staub, 1967
(c) Houston Astros
Outfielder Rusty Staub had a truly remarkable year in 1967, setting club marks in batting average (.333), hits (182), hitting streak (20), doubles (44), and most intentional walks (21). For all of this, he was named the team's Most Valuable Player for a second consecutive season.

19 Jose Cruz, 1983
.360 avg
(c) Houston Astros
Outfielder Jose Cruz had a long and prosperous career with the Astros, but 1983 was arguably his best season. The recipient of several post-season awards, Cruz's 19-game hitting streak was just one of the highlights, lasting from August 23 to September 12. During the streak, he batted .360, collecting 27 hits in 75 at-bats.

19 Bob Watson, 1973
.388 avg
(c) Houston Astros
Before he moved to first base, Bob Watson was the "Bull" in left field who literally carried a big stick, a 38 oz. bat. He began the 1973 season on a torrid pace, starting a 19-game hitting streak on April 9 that ran through April 27. During the streak, Watson batted .388, collecting 26 hits in 67 at-bats and driving in an incredible 21 runners in the 19 games.

18 Craig Biggio, 2001
.338 avg
(c) Houston Astros
A potential Hall-of-Famer, Craig Biggio put together his longest hitting streak, 18 games, in the 2001 season. Lasting from May 29 to June 18, Biggio collected only 25 hits in 74 at-bats for an average of .338, making it one of the leanest hitting streaks in franchise history (15 or more games). But Biggio showed some power during the streak, clubbing five homers, three doubles and a triple to run up a respectable .608 slugging pct. His best game was on June 17 when he homered twice in four at-bats.

18 Jeff Bagwell, 2000
.455 avg
(c) Houston Astros
The greatest hitter in franchise history, Jeff Bagwell has had two 18-game hitting streaks. The last was in 2000, lasting from August 2 to August 20. Bagwell was unstoppable during the streak, collecting 30 hits in 66 at-bats for a .455 average. With 14 walks and 10 homers, Bagwell had a .549 on-base pct and a .985 slugging pct during the streak. The streak included three two-homer games, peaking on August 13 when Bagwell went 4-for-5 with two homers and 7 RBI.

18 Terry Puhl, 1978
.405 avg
(c) Houston Astros
In 1977, Terry Puhl joined the team as a temporary injury replacement and was not expected to stick with the team. But he won a starting job with his hitting, and put together an 18-game hitting streak to highlight his sophomore season. Puhl's streak lasted from May 5 to May 27, raising his season average from .276 to .335. He batted .405 during the streak, collecting 30 hits in 74 at-bats. His hot streak was instrumental in being selected by Tommy Lasorda to represent the Astros in the All-Star Game.

17 Richard Hidalgo, 2000-2001
.508 avg
(c) Houston Astros
Richard Hidalgo fulfilled his potential with an incredible breakthrough season in 2000, launching 44 homers, batting .314 and driving in 122 runners. After having a 15-game hitting streak end with an 0-for-1 performance (with two walks) on September 14, Hidalgo then ended the season with a 14-game hitting streak. For this amazing performance, Hidalgo was named "NL Player of the Month" for September. Hidalgo then opened the 2001 season with hits in his first three games, lengthening his streak to 17 games. In probably the hottest hitting tear in franchise history, Hidalgo batted .508, collecting 33 hits in 65 at-bats. The streak included 8 homers, 7 doubles, and a triple, resulting in an awesome 1.015 slugging pct during the 17 games.

17 Doug Rader, 1970
.413 avg
(c) Houston Astros
Doug Rader was a perennial Gold Glove third baseman for the team, and had one of his finest offensive seasons in 1970. "The Rooster" set personal highs with 25 homers and 87 RBI, and set a club record with RBI in six consecutive games. His 17-game hitting streak lasted from April 25 to May 14, with 26 hits in 63 at-bats for a .413 average. With four homers and four doubles, Rader's slugging pct during the streak was a hefty .667.

16 Billy Hatcher, 1987
.455 avg
(c) Houston Astros
After a respectable rookie season in 1986, the offensive floodgates opened for outfielder Billy Hatcher in 1987, who started the season with a 16-game hitting streak from April 6 to April 23, the best ever by an Astro to start a season. Hatcher hit an amazing .455 during the streak, collecting 30 hits in 66 at-bats. The streak also included an amazing run of nine straight multi-hit games from April 12 to April 21.

16 Geoff Blum, 2004

(c) Houston Astros
In his second season with the team, third baseman Geoff Blum rattled off a 16-game hitting streak. For the season, Blum batted .262 with 10 homers.

16 Ray Knight, 1982
.381 avg
(c) Houston Astros
In his first season as an Astro, Ray Knight had one of the best seasons of his career, remaining in the Top 10 among hitters until the last month of the season. He ended the season with a .294 average, 179 hits and 70 RBI. May was his best month, with a 16-game hitting streak lasting from May 1 to May 19. Knight batted .381 during the streak, collecting 24 hits in 63 at-bats. He ended the streak with a string of four consecutive multi-hit games before going 0-for-4 on May 21.

16 Joe Morgan, 1971
(c) Houston Astros
In his last season with the team before the infamous trade to Cincinnati, Joe Morgan had a typical season, batting .256 with enough walks (88) to make his on-base pct very respectable. "Little Joe" hit with power, lashing out 51 extra-base hits (27 doubles, 11 triples and 13 homers) to give him a .407 slugging pct, which is very high for a second baseman playing in the Astrodome. Unfortunately, I have no information on his 16-game hitting streak that season.

16 Jim Wynn, 1968
(c) Houston Astros
Center fielder Jim Wynn was the team's powerhouse during the Sixties, and 1968 was no exception. The "Toy Cannon" led the team in homers (26), total bases (257), runs (85), walks (90) and outfield assists (20). In addition, he was second on the team in hits (146), triples (5), and doubles (23). His 16-game hitting streak was the team's best for the season.

16 Roman Mejias, 1962
.368 avg
(c) Houston Astros
Cuban-born outfielder Roman Mejias was the team's best slugger in the inaugural season for the franchise. Despite leading the team in runs (82), homers (24), RBI (76), batting average (.286) and stolen bases (12), he was passed over for the team's MVP award in favor of light-hitting shortstop Bob Lillis. During his 16-game, Mejias collected 25 hits in 68 at-bats for a .368 average. Showing his power, he clobbered 7 homers and knocked in 19 runners while stealing five bases during the game. His slugging pct during the streak was a stout .721. Mejias' best game was June 3, when he went 4 for 5 with a two-run homer.

15 Daryle Ward, 2002
.386 avg
(c) Houston Astros
Outfielder Daryle Ward's hitting streak started on April 13 and lasted through April 30. During the 15-game streak, Ward collected 22 hits in 57 at-bats for a .386 avg. He also clubbed nine doubles during the streak, putting his slugging pct at .547. Despite his presence in a potent lineup, Ward could only manage five RBI during the streak.

15 Bill Doran, 1984
.375 avg
(c) Houston Astros
One of the best second baseman in franchise history, Bill Doran had a solid season in 1984, batting .261 with 33 extra-base hits and 21 steals. Although he started the season slowly, he put together a 15-game hitting streak from July 30 to August 15. He batted .375 with 8 multi-hit games during the streak, collecting 24 hits in 64 at-bats. He immediately followed up with an 8-game streak, giving him a string of hitting safely in 23 of 24 games.

15 Enos Cabell, 1979
.320 avg
(c) Houston Astros
Enos Cabell was a mainstay at third base for many years with the team, setting in 1979 a now-broken club record for consecutive games played at 213. Towards the end of this record, Cabell had a 15-game hitting streak from April 26 to May 11. He batted .320 during the streak, collecting 24 hits in 75 at-bats. His best game during the streak was on April 27, when he went 3-for-5 with a double, homer, and 2 RBI.

15 Craig Reynolds, 1979
.368 avg
(c) Houston Astros
In his first season as an Astro, light-hitting shortstop Craig Reynolds had one of his best seasons with the team. Despite starting the season with only one hit in his first 23 at-bats, Reynolds soon rattled off a 15-game hitting streak lasting from April 17 to May 5. He batted .368 during the streak, collecting 25 hits in 68 at-bats. The streak included a 4-for-6 performance on April 27. At the end of the streak, his average had reached a season-high .294 and stayed high enough for Reynolds to be named to the All-Star Game. And in a reminder of how the game used to be played, Reynolds set a club record in 1979 with 34 sacrifice bunts.

Thanks to David Smith and Retrosheet for much of the information contained on this page.