May 12, 2016
Jimmy Rollins ended the 2005 season with a hitting streak of 36 games, which had to be paused for an entire offseason. Heading into 2006, a major storyline was how Rollins would fare trying to extend the streak right out of the chute.
On an upcoming MLB Network documentary titled 56: The Streak, which looks at DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, Rollins explained that April weather wasn’t the only challenge he faced. J-Roll also had to deal with a toothpick in his foot.
It’s kind of a strange story. We’ll let Jimmy explain:
Ironically, once the toothpick was out of his foot, Rollins’ hitting streak ended on April 6th. That, or it was simply bound to happen at some point. DiMaggio’s streak is still considered baseball’s unbreakable record.
Rollins’ 38-game hitting streak is still good for eighth all-time, the best mark of this century. Later that season, Chase Utley slapped together a 35-game hitting streak for the Phillies. Man, those teams could really hit.
The documentary will air this Sunday on MLB Network at 8 p.m.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
