New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe extended his majors-leading hitting streak to 21 games on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Angels (GameTracker). In turn, Volpe positioned himself to tie Joe DiMaggio mark if he can get a hit in Thursday’s series finale.
Volpe, 23, led off the game with a single to center field against Angels starter Tyler Anderson. That ties him with DiMaggio for the second-longest hitting streak in Yankees franchise history by a player who was 23 years old or younger. Additionally, it puts him a knock away from tying DiMaggio’s record for the longest hitting streak by a player with such youth, according to MLB’s Sarah Langs.
Of course, DiMaggio would go on to have a more famous and more enduring hitting streak in 1941, when he notched a hit in 56 consecutive games. He also had separate 23- and 24-game hitting streaks in 1940. Joe DiMaggio could hit a bit, in case you didn’t know. Here’s a look at the five longest hitting streaks in Yankees history, regardless of age:
- Joe DiMaggio, 56 games, 1941
- Hal Chase, 33 games, 1907
- Joe Gordon, 29 games, 1942
- Earle Combs, 29 games, 1931
- Roger Peckinpaugh, 29 games, 1919
Volpe, clearly, has a ways to go before he can move into that company. Still, he’s only a few games away from having his streak reach 25 games. The only other Yankees batters to achieve a hitting streak that long are Babe Ruth and Derek Jeter. That would be nice company to keep for someone whose career is closer to the beginning than the end.
Volpe hit .285/.356/.434 (124 OPS+) with six home runs and 11 stolen bases in his first 55 games. His contributions had been worth an estimated 2.5 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference’s calculations.
The Yankees entered Wednesday with a 37-19 record on the season, putting them in first place in the American League East despite missing ace Gerrtt Cole through the season’s first two months. The Yankees maintained a 1 1/2 game lead coming into play.
