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PETTY BECOMES 2ND IN ’69 W/ 40-GAME STREAK
SUPERSTAR CF MATCHES NABORS FOR 3RD-LONGEST HIT STREAK IN NBBO HISTORY

ERIE, PENN. (July 3, 1869) – Lake Erie BC fell back to .500 (22-22) after an uncompetitive 13-5 home loss to Scranton on Saturday afternoon. However, the result was not the main takeaway for the 1,545 in attendance at the 10th Street Grounds.

Going into Saturday’s game, star Lake Erie CF Franklin Petty, the reigning NEL Most Valuable Player, had a 39-game Hitting Streak and was attempting to become the fourth player in NBBO history to take such a streak to forty games, with Victory SS Henry Nabors doing so earlier this season. That meant all eyes were on Petty.

In the end, Petty had four opportunities to take the streak to the historic milestone. In the bottom of the first Petty reached base, but that was via base on balls – no hit. In the bottom of the third Petty hit a fly ball to the Scranton SS – out. That left Petty 0/1 with a free pass to first base.

In the bottom of the fifth Petty came to bat for plate appearance number three and hit a line-drive single to the outfield, driving in a run and bringing his Hitting Streak to forty games, drawing an ovation from the Lake Erie crowd. Petty’s final plate appearance resulted in a fly ball out in the seventh inning, but with the all-important hit out of the way and the outcome no longer in question that was of little concern.

With Franklin Petty adding his name, the list of forty-game hitting streaks in NBBO history is now as follows:

• #1: Cormack Alexander (K.C. & Q.S.) – 42 games over 1867-68 (ended 5/22/68)
• #2: William McQuaid (F.C.) – 41 games over 1862-63 (ended 6/28/63)
• #3: Henry Nabors (VIC) – 40 games over 1868-69 (ended 5/22/69)
• #4: Franklin Petty (L.E.) – 40 games during 1869 (ongoing)

It should be noted that Petty is the first player ever to hit successfully in forty consecutive games in the same season.

Petty’s streak has not reached forty games with him meekly slapping the ball past the opposing infielders once per game. He is batting an absurd .446 with a .655 Slugging % and 1.133 OPS (213 OPS+) so far in 1869, and all three marks would be new NBBO records if he keeps that level of performance up over the final five weeks of the season.

Normally, one would expect the best players in the sport of base ball to play on its best & biggest teams, but it is clear that the sport’s premier batsman plies his trade for a small club, much like Willie Davis was doing early in the decade with Susquehanna. That can only be a good thing for the development of base ball.