Who has the longest hitting streak in MLB history?

National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt captured the attention of MLB fans when he successfully hit in 25 straight games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022.

"The @Cardinals have struck gold. Paul Goldschmidt extends his hitting streak to 25 games with an opposite-field homer." - @ MLB

With hitting streaks of that length becoming increasingly rare, some wondered if Goldschmidt had broken some sort of record. As we are about to see, there have been some streaks in history much longer than what we saw from him in 2022.

The longest hitting streak of the 20th century belongs to Philadelphia Phillies star Jimmy Rollins. Rollins got a hit in 38 consecutive games between the end of the 2005 season and the beginning of the 2006 season.

His teammate Chase Utley came close to tying Rollins' record that same season, hitting successfully in 35 consecutive games.

However, the streaks obtained by these members of the 2005-2006 Phillies do not top off the list. Rollins' streak lands him eighth on the all-time list, while Utley is tied for 11th.

Among active players, Whit Merrifield tops the list. Merrifield hit in 31 consecutive games between the 2018 and 2019 seasons for the Kansas City Royals. However, he finds himself tied for 26th on the list of the longest hitting streaks in MLB history.

What about MLB all-time hits leader Pete Rose? With 4,256 hits, Rose has more than any other player in history. Indeed, he registered a hit in 44 straight games in 1978, but still finds himself only third on the list of longest hitting streaks.

"Born #OTD in 1914, Joe DiMaggio. 13 x All Star, 9 x WS Champion, 3 x AL MVP, 2 x AL batting champion, 2 x AL HR leader and 2 x AL RBI leader. Still holds the MLB record for the longest hitting streak: 56 games. And if you didn’t already know, my favourite player of all time." - @ Cate

The title for the longest hitting streak ever belongs to New York Yankees icon Joe DiMaggio. DiMaggio registered hits in 56 consecutive games during the 1941 season, placing him above all other players in the history of the game.

He was influential in winning the World Series for the Yankees that season. It was the last Fall Classic before the United States entered World War 2.

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MLB hitting streaks are becoming less common

Although we still see lengthy hitting streaks, the vast majority of hitting streaks on the top 20 list happened in the early days of baseball. Scouting reports and a general increase in the speed and skill of pitching has rendered long hitting streaks much more difficult.

But who knows? Maybe we will see a 57-game hitting streak in 2023.