RSS Mobile iPhone Electronic Edition | Newsletters Subscribe | Customer Service Contact Us | Community Modmomsclub

Sports

Friday, Jul. 10, 2009

Player's 45-game hitting streak ends in Modesto

E-Mail Print

MODESTO -- Jamie McOwen was looking for a quiet spot in the clubhouse — a place where he could give what must seem like his 200th interview in the last two weeks.

As he walked past a group of pitchers, one of them spoke up, intentionally talking loud enough to be heard by all. “Big deal,” the pitcher said. “Jamie gets one hit a night and all of the sudden it’s national news.”

One hit in a baseball game is not a big deal. But when you get at least one hit in 45 consecutive games, it’s a very big deal.

McOwen, a 23-year-old outfielder with the High Desert Mavericks, came to John Thurman Field on Friday night with the eighth-longest hitting streak in minor league baseball history.

But the streak was snapped by the Nuts, as pitchers Connor Graham, Ethan Hollingsworth and Craig Baker held McOwen without a hit in a 2-0 Modesto victory. McOwen was 0-for-3 with a walk.

“It’s just another game and the streak has ended, and that last guy (Baker) got a good fastball right by me, it was a good run — 45 games,” McOwen said after the game. “It was a good experience, for sure.”

McOwen obliterated the California League record, sprinting past the 35-game mark reached by Modesto’s Brent Gates in 1992 and tied two years ago by Chris Davis of Bakersfield.

He still had quite a journey ahead to match the all-time American professional record of 69 games, set by Joe Wilhoit of the Wichita Jobbers in 1919. With days off, McOwen was a month away from challenging that mark.

Last week, McOwen did a live interview at 7:45 a.m. on an ESPN show — the only time, he said, the streak has caused him to lose sleep.

“He has the perfect personality for this,” said High Desert manager Jim Horner. “He’s a laid-back guy, but he works his fanny off in the cage with our hitting coach Tommy Cruz. He’s just Jamie McOwen, and I don’t know how to say it better than that.”

The streak attracted attention from all over the country, a spotlight McOwen, a native of Ft. Lauderdale and a product of Florida International University, was very happy to share.

“I like to have fun with all of this and I like to have my teammates involved,” McOwen said. “They’re a big part of all of this. Half the time I’m getting five at-bats in games because my teammates are hitting so well, and more than a few times I’ve gotten my only hit in my last at-bat. This isn’t just about me, and I certainly don’t want my teammates walking on eggshells around me.”

That extends to the dugout, where baseball protocol generally forbids anyone from talking about the progress of hitting streaks or no hitters.

“The guys on the team will come up and remind me I only have one more shot,” McOwen said before the game. “You never want to go hitless in a game, but I’m not going to cry or lose any hair when the streak ends. If the streak ends tonight, I’ve still hit pretty well for the last 45 games.”

McOwen didn’t realize at the time he was being prophetic.

Bee staff writer Brian VanderBeek can be reached at bvanderbeek@modbee.com or 578-2300.