Rollins’ Hitting Streak Ends at 38

Jimmy Rollins watched the final out with his bat in his hands, turned and walked down the steps of the dugout.

He was more disappointed over Philadelphia’s third consecutive loss than the end of his 38-game hitting streak.

Rollins went 0 for 4, ending a hitting streak that stretched over two seasons, and the Phillies lost, 4-2, to the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday at Philadelphia.

“I said I’d trade a hit for a win,” Rollins said. “Unfortunately it didn’t happen.”

After finishing last season with a 36-game hitting streak, Rollins kept up his pursuit of Joe DiMaggio’s major league-record 56-game streak with hits in his first two games this season.

But he was hitless in three at-bats against Jason Marquis and one at-bat against Josh Hancock. Rollins flied out to right field (first inning), left field (fifth) and center field (seventh), and was retired trying to bunt for a single in the third.

Rollins was the fifth batter due up in the ninth, but Jason Isringhausen retired the side in order, getting Mike Lieberthal to ground to third to end it.

Rollins’ season-ending 36-game hitting streak was the ninth-longest over one season in major league history, and the longest in the majors since 1987, when Paul Molitor hit safely in 39 consecutive games.

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Hitting streaks

The longest streaks of consecutive games with at least one hit in major league history:

*--* Player Year(s) Team 56 Joe DiMaggio 1941 New York (AL) 45 Willie Keeler 1896-97 Baltimore (NL) 44 Pete Rose 1978 Cincinnati (NL) 42 Bill Dahlen 1894 Chicago (NL) 41 George Sisler 1922 St. Louis (AL) 40 Ty Cobb 1911 Detroit (AL) 39 Paul Molitor 1987 Milw. (AL) 38 Jimmy Rollins 2005-06 Phila. (NL) 37 Tommy Holmes 1945 Boston (NL)

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