Hitting cleanup behind superstar Albert Pujols, new St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday is clearly loving it. In every one of his eight games in the uniform to date, Holliday has at least one hit, 17 in total.
His long list of safeties include six doubles and a home run, with his most recent carnage consisting of three singles and the game-tying double in four at-bats Friday night as the Cardinals came back to defeat the Houston Astros 4-3.
Holliday is the first player to begin his Cardinals career by hitting safely in his first eight games since the great Roger Maris in 1967. If he keeps on this pace through the weekend, he will tie Charley Smith (1966) and Alvin Dark (1956) for the longest such Cardinals streak in at least the last 55 years, ten games.
In terms of getting on base multiple times per game, Holliday’s eight-game-and-counting run is already the longest by a new Cardinals player since at least 1954. The previous record was just five games, set by quickly-forgotten Chuck Carr in 1992.
Holliday will certainly be remembered longer. Perhaps much longer…
Consecutive Games with a Hit to Start Cardinals Career (1954-2009)
Streak Start | Streak End | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SO | BB | SB | CS | BA | OBP | SLG | |
Charley Smith | 4/13/1966 | 4/24/1966 | 10 | 37 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .486 | .525 | .730 |
Alvin Dark | 6/15/1956 | 6/24/1956 | 10 | 45 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .467 | .468 | .600 |
Matt Holliday | 7/24/2009 | 7/31/2009 * | 8 | 29 | 6 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | .586 | .649 | .897 |
Roger Maris | 4/11/1967 | 4/22/1967 | 8 | 33 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .424 | .444 | .606 |
Bo Hart | 6/19/2003 | 6/26/2003 | 7 | 35 | 7 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .514 | .528 | .771 |
Cesar Cedeno | 8/30/1985 | 9/8/1985 | 7 | 17 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .529 | .529 | 1.000 |
Terry Pendleton | 7/18/1984 | 7/24/1984 | 7 | 29 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .414 | .452 | .483 |
Gino Cimoli | 4/10/1959 | 4/17/1959 | 7 | 27 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | .407 | .467 | .481 |
John Rodriguez | 7/18/2005 | 7/23/2005 | 6 | 21 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .381 | .435 | .762 |
Tony Womack | 4/5/2004 | 4/11/2004 | 6 | 26 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 0 | .423 | .483 | .538 |
Chuck Carr | 9/8/1992 | 9/17/1992 | 6 | 25 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 0 | .360 | .448 | .480 |
Mike Fitzgerald | 6/23/1988 | 6/28/1988 | 6 | 25 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .280 | .280 | .320 |
Ken Boyer | 4/12/1955 | 4/18/1955 | 6 | 28 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .321 | .345 | .571 |
Wally Moon | 4/13/1954 | 4/20/1954 | 6 | 23 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .348 | .429 | .783 |
Julio Lugo | 7/24/2009 | 7/29/2009 | 5 | 25 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .400 | .423 | .760 |
Will Clark | 8/1/2000 | 8/6/2000 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .643 | .737 | 1.571 |
Royce Clayton | 4/1/1996 | 4/6/1996 | 5 | 25 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .320 | .357 | .520 |
Steve Lake | 8/12/1986 | 8/19/1986 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .313 | .313 | .375 |
Lonnie Smith | 4/6/1982 | 4/11/1982 | 5 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | .400 | .500 | .550 |
Willie Davis | 6/6/1975 | 6/11/1975 | 5 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .364 | .391 | .545 |
Ken Reitz | 9/5/1972 | 9/8/1972 | 5 | 21 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .571 | .545 | .619 |
Jose Cruz | 9/19/1970 | 10/1/1970 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .353 | .476 | .412 |
Julio Gotay | 8/6/1960 | 6/18/1961 | 5 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .412 | .412 | .471 |
Don Blasingame | 9/20/1955 | 9/25/1955 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | .375 | .545 | .438 |
On-Base Streak – Two or More Times per Game to Start Cardinals Career (1954-2009)
Streak Start | Streak End | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SO | BB | SB | CS | BA | OBP | SLG | |
Matt Holliday | 7/24/2009 | 7/31/2009 * | 8 | 29 | 6 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | .586 | .649 | .897 |
Chuck Carr | 9/8/1992 | 9/16/1992 | 5 | 21 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .381 | .480 | .524 |
Ron Gant | 4/1/1996 | 4/5/1996 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .385 | .550 | .846 |
Willie Davis | 6/6/1975 | 6/9/1975 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .389 | .421 | .611 |
Don Blasingame | 9/20/1955 | 9/24/1955 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | .417 | .611 | .500 |
Julio Lugo | 7/24/2009 | 7/26/2009 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .571 | .571 | 1.214 |
Aaron Miles | 4/3/2006 | 4/6/2006 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .636 | .714 | 1.000 |
Yadier Molina | 6/3/2004 | 6/5/2004 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .300 | .462 | .400 |
Bo Hart | 6/19/2003 | 6/21/2003 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .583 | .615 | 1.083 |
Jim Edmonds | 4/3/2000 | 4/6/2000 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .375 | .615 | .875 |
Mike Matheny | 4/3/2000 | 4/6/2000 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .545 | .583 | 1.000 |
Pat Borders | 4/1/1996 | 4/6/1996 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .429 | .429 | .571 |
Danny Sheaffer | 4/30/1995 | 5/4/1995 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .545 | .583 | .909 |
Bob Horner | 4/4/1988 | 4/8/1988 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .222 | .500 | .556 |
Roger Maris | 4/11/1967 | 4/15/1967 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .538 | .571 | .846 |
Dick Groat | 4/9/1963 | 4/13/1963 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .462 | .533 | 1.077 |
Bill Virdon | 4/12/1955 | 4/16/1955 | 3 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .400 | .471 | .667 |
Joe Cunningham | 6/30/1954 | 7/2/1954 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .455 | .538 | 1.273 |
* current streak