Gonzalez's Streak Ends at 30

Gonzalez’s Streak Ends at 30

L.A. Times Archives

May 20, 1999 12 AM PT

<i> From Associated Press</i>

SAN FRANCISCO —

Hitless in his first three at-bats, Luis Gonzalez stepped out of the batter’s box briefly during his final plate appearance in the eighth to let the enormity of his accomplishment sink in for a moment.

Then he swung and missed, ending his hitting streak at 30 games.

The left fielder went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts as his Arizona Diamondbacks lost to the San Francisco Giants, 8-3, on Wednesday. He ended up tied for the longest hitting streak of the 1990s.

“I’m not disappointed at all, I had a great run. It was fun,” he said. “I got to 30 games. I finally got into an elite group with a bunch of great ballplayers. There are a lot of players that are still playing that are good and have never had streaks like this.”

The victory moved the Giants back into a tie atop the National League West with the Diamondbacks, who began the day in sole possession of first place for the first time in franchise history.

Jeff Kent hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the sixth and Rich Aurilia added a two-run shot two batters later as the Giants avoided getting swept by Arizona in the three-game series.

Gonzalez, who had the longest hitting streak in the NL since Jerome Walton of the Chicago Cubs also hit in 30 games in 1989, became the 12th player to have a hitting streak end at 30 games. Only 23 players have had longer streaks.

Gonzalez, who had three hits Tuesday night in a 7-3 victory over the Giants, struck out swinging in the first and looking in the fourth. He grounded meekly to second on the first pitch he faced in the sixth, and struck out swinging at a pitch in the dirt in the eighth.

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Going Gonzo

A look at Luis Gonzalez’s 30-game hitting streak:

NUMBERS BEFORE STREAK

At-bats: 18

Runs: 4

Home runs: 3

Runs batted in: 4

Stolen bases: 0

Average: .333

NUMBERS DURING STREAK