Mejia Extends Hit Streak To 49 Games

LONGEST HIT STREAKS, PRO BASEBALL
Streak	Player (League), Year
69	Joe Wilhoit (Western), 1919
61	Joe DiMaggio (Pacific Coast), 1933
56	Joe DiMaggio (American), 1941
55	Roman Mejias (Big State), 1954
50	Otto Pahlman (Three-I League), 1922
49	Francisco Mejia (Midwest/Carolina), 2016
49	Jack Ness (Pacific Coast), 1915
49	Harry Chozen (Southern Association), 1945
46	Johnny Bates (Southern Association), 1925
45	James McOwen (California), 2009
45	Wee Willie Keeler (National), 1896-1897
44	Pete Rose (National), 1978
Sources: Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, The Story Of Minor League Baseball, Google Newspaper Archive Bolded entries are from Major League Baseball

Francisco Mejia’s hit streak has not been slowed by promotion or rumored trade. It has survived illness and injury. And now, it’s reaching truly lofty heights.

After sitting out two games with the flu, Mejia singled to center field in the sixth inning against Winston-Salem (White Sox) on Friday night to extend his hitting streak to 49, tying him with Jack Ness for the fifth-longest hitting streak in the history of the minor leagues. It’s the sixth-longest of all professional baseball once you include Joe DiMaggio’s major league record 56-game streak.

Mejia’s streak is already the longest since Minor League Baseball reorganized into its modern format in 1963. Only one hitter, Roman Mejias in 1954, has had a longer hitting streak since professional baseball was integrated in 1946.

Mejia’s last hitless game came back on May 25 when he was playing for low Class A Lake County. He finished his Midwest League career with a 24-game hitting streak. After being promoted to the Carolina League, Mejia had to take a break to play in the Futures Game, but the cross-country trip did nothing to slow him down.

Mejia’s 25-game Carolina League hitting streak also puts the league record in reach as he’s chasing Pat Cooper’s 31-game hit streak set in 1948.