Sunday, June 17, 2012

No 23 for 23

thought i would write a quick blog now that Brantley's hitting streak has ended. never before in my life have i been disappointed that Brantley "wasted" an at bat today by drawing a walk. and i may be bitter that Michael wasn't batting higher in the order, which could have given him one final at bat in the bottom of the 9th inning today. and i may or may not have teared up about it...i won't divulge that information lol but all good things must come to an end. Michael didn't want to talk about his hitting streak with reporters, but there's no way he wasn't thinking about it every time he went to bat in the last couple days after he set a new career high for himself.

Brantley's 22-game hitting streak started on May 20 and extended through June 15. at the start, his batting average was .255; at the end, .284.


Brantley had 90 plate appearances and 86 at bats in 22 games during his streak.

he bat 2nd in 3 games.

he bat 5th in 13 games.

he bat 6th in 6 games.


here are his numbers:

batting average: .337 (29-86)

against lefties: .333 (9-27)

against righties: .339 (20-59)

OBP: .367

SLG: .442

OPS: .809


23 singles

4 doubles

1 triple

1 home run

16 RBIs

12 runs scored

12 strikeouts

4 walks (1 was intentional)

6 stolen bases (1 caught stealing)


let's break this down even further.


Michael bat 2nd in 3 games. he had 13 plate appearances and 12 at bats. his numbers are as follows:

batting average: .333 (4-12)

3 singles

1 double

6 RBIs

4 runs scored

2 strikeouts

1 walk

1 stolen base


Michael bat 5th in 13 games. he had 54 plate appearances and 53 at bats. his numbers are as follows:

batting average: .321 (17-53)

14 singles

2 doubles

1 home run

9 RBIs

4 runs scored

7 strikeouts

1 (intentional) walk

2 stolen bases (1 caught stealing)


Michael bat 6th in 6 games. he had 23 plate appearances and 21 at bats. his numbers are as follows:

batting average: .381 (8-21)

6 singles

1 double

1 triple

1 RBI

4 runs scored

3 strikeouts

2 walks

3 stolen bases


when i wrote my May blog and documented that he finished the month on a 9-game hitting streak, i was happy because it was a clear sign of improvement, and i never could have imagined he'd continue on with that for 13 more games. not only is his hitting streak a team high for the season, but it's the current longest streak in the major leagues. he set the bar high, and while another player on another team may eventually break that streak, i doubt any Indians will.

but of course, some people out there were unimpressed by his streak. i heard comments such as "shouldn't his batting average be higher for someone with that long of a streak?" and "he's only been 1 for 4 in most games, hitting mainly singles." downplay it all you want, but if it was so easy to do, more players would be doing it.

no matter what else happens this season, i am proud of him. he's a team player and doesn't care about individual accolades, but i hope he was enjoying the ride on some level. and at least it helped him get more recognition around the league. not many people knew who he was in 2010, but people have to know him now. it's what he's always wanted; to go to the plate with the fans behind him cheering him on.😀

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