Shohei Ohtani’s on-base streak came to an end at 53 games after the Los Angeles Dodgers’s two-way star went 0-for-4 in a 3-0 loss against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday (22 April).
Ohtani’s streak was the longest in Major League Baseball in 20 years, since Orlando Cabrera had a run of 63 games in 2006. It was also the longest-ever such streak by an Asian-born player after Ohtani passed Choo Shinsoo’s 2018 mark of 52 games on Tuesday.
Ohtani was five games away from tying the Dodgers record held by Duke Snider in 1954. He had tied Shawn Green (2000) for the team’s second longest streak on Tuesday.
Ted Williams set the all-time record with a streak of 84 games in 1949.
Ohtani on Wednesday was lights out on the mound, however. While he did not pick up a win, the 31-year-old struck out seven and gave up five hits over six shutout innings, lowering his ERA to an infinitesimal 0.38.