Five Longest Hitless Streaks in MLB History

Cal Raleigh is in the worst slump of his MLB career. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Cal Raleigh is currently mired in one of the worst slumps in recent memory, though he finally broke through with a hit during the Mariners’ clash with the Astros on Tuesday night. Prior to that hit, the Mariners All-Star catcher and reigning AL MVP runner up was approaching some unwanted MLB history.

Raleigh had zero hits in his previous 38 at-bats before hitting a single to center field in the seventh inning on Tuesday. He hadn’t gotten a single hit in his previous nine games. It was the longest hitless streak in MLB this season, but at long last he got aboard with a base hit. But where did it rank among the worst dry spells in league history? Let’s take a look at the five longest hitless streaks in league history.

1. Chris Davis

0-for-54, 2018 to ’19

Davis endured a brutal 0-for-54 streak between the 2018 and ’19 seasons. Davis, then with the Orioles, approaching the end of one of the worst contracts in MLB history, ended the ‘18 season without a hit in his final five games, going 0-for-18. He got off to a putrid start in ‘19, going hitless in his first 12 games, a painstaking 0-for-36 span which, combined with his hitless streak from the previous season, saw him set the league record for most at-bats without a hit.

In total, Davis went 17 games and, technically, 211 days without recording a hit, before snapping the streak with a three-hit outing against the Red Sox.

2. Eugenio Vélez

0-for-46, 2010 to ’11

Vélez only played in 63 games from 2010 to ‘11, splitting time with the Giants and Dodgers. Often used as a pinch-hitter, Vélez rarely got more than a single at-bat in a game, but he struggled to produce in those situations when he was called upon. Vélez went hitless in his final 10 games of the 2010 season, and didn’t record a single hit during his 34-game tenure in L.A. in ‘11 before he was outrighted to Triple A.

Vélez never played in another MLB game after that, so he was never able to end his hitless streak, which spanned a total of 46 at-bats, which was the all-time record until Davis broke it eight years later.

3. Bill Bergen

0-for-45, 1909

Back in 1909, Bill Bergen of the Brooklyn Superbas endured a historically woeful stretch in the batter’s box, going 45 straight at-bats without a hit. Bergen, who had a .319 OPS that season, went without a single hit from June 30 to July 17. His batting average dropped from .148 to .121 throughout the life of the slump.

4. Dave Campbell

0-for-45, 1973

Dave Campbell had a hitless streak in 1973 that spanned 45 at-bats. Although the entirety of the streak occurred in one season, his struggles remained with three different franchises. Campbell started the hitless streak on May 18 when he was with the Padres. He didn’t record a hit until September 18, four months and two teams later. Campbell was traded to the Cardinals in June, but didn’t record a hit across 13 games with the club. He was later traded to the Astros, where he was hitless in his first seven games.

In all, Campbell’s hitless streak lasted four months and a total of 27 games.

5. Craig Counsell

0-for-45, 2011

In 2011, the final season of Craig Counsell’s 16-year career, the veteran infielder was often used as a pinch-hitter, though he didn’t have much success coming off the bench. From June 11 to August 5, Counsell failed to record a single hit, a streak which spanned across 45 at-bats and 33 games. His batting average bottomed out at .145 during the cold spell, but he snapped the streak with a pinch-hit single against the Astros.

Fortunately for Raleigh, he’s managed to avoid adding his name to the list of players that make up the five longest hitless streaks in league history.

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