Castillo’s Streak Is at 32

Seeking to extend his 31-game hitting streak in the third inning, Luis Castillo was given the take sign on a 3-and-0 count, which left him hoping the pitch would be a strike.

“I didn’t want to walk,” Castillo said. “I needed a hit. I wanted to tell the umpire, ‘If it’s close, please call it a strike.”’

Chuck Finley did throw a strike, and Castillo pulled the next pitch for a double to make it 32 games in a row--the longest hitting streak in the major leagues in 15 years.

He scored the first run and had two more hits to finish three for four and help Florida defeat Cleveland, 4-0, Tuesday night in the first meeting between the teams since the 1997 World Series.

Ryan Dempster (5-6) gave up four hits in 61/3 innings before being ejected after he hit a batter for the second time. Manager Jeff Torborg also was thrown out.

Derrek Lee hit a two-run homer, his 15th.

But Castillo drew the biggest cheers from the crowd of 9,724. He was retired on a bunt attempt leading off the first, then doubled when he chopped the ball into the infield grass and it bounded over third baseman Travis Fryman’s head on one hop.

Castillo scored on Eric Owens’ two-out single to make it 1-0. He hit another double off the third-base bag in the fifth, singled in the seventh and raised his average to .336.

The speedy second baseman is the 18th player to hit in at least 32 games in a row, and only the fourth since 1949. His streak is the longest since Benito Santiago hit in 34 consecutive games in 1987. Paul Molitor had a 39-game streak earlier that season.

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Streakers

Longest hitting streaks in major league history:

*--* Player Year Team G Joe DiMaggio 1941 New York (AL) 56 Willie Keeler 1897 Baltimore (NL) 44 Pete Rose 1978 Cincinnati (NL) 44 Bill Dahlen 1894 Chicago (NL) 42 George Sisler 1922 St. Louis (AL) 41 Ty Cobb 1911 Detroit (AL) 40 Paul Molitor 1987 Milwaukee (AL) 39 Tommy Holmes 1945 Boston (NL) 37 Billy Hamilton 1894 Philadelphia (NL) 36 Fred Clarke 1895 Louisville (NL ) 35 Ty Cobb 1917 Detroit (AL) 35 George Sisler 1925 St. Louis (AL) 34 George McQuinn 1938 St. Louis (AL) 34 Dom DiMaggio 1949 Boston (AL) 34 Benito Santiago 1987 San Diego (NL) 34 George Davis 1893 New York (NL) 33 Hal Chase 1907 New York (AL) 33 Rogers Hornsby 1922 St. Louis (NL) 33 Heinie Manush 1933 Washington (AL) 33 Luis Castillo 2002 Florida (NL) 32

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