Mets History: Moises Alou’s 30 game hitting streak in 2007 remains a record

As a 40-year-old, Moises Alou set a new hitting streak record for the New York Mets in 2007.

Ask an average New York Mets fan who has the longest hitting streak in franchise history, I’m doubtful you’ll get the correct answer most of the time. For a team with some really good players in its history, it might surprise most to learn that Moises Alou holds the record.

In 2007, Alou played for the Mets in his age 40 season. Even at his “over-the-hill” phase in life, Alou remained productive.

Alou spent only two seasons with the Mets. Injuries held him to just 102 games over the two years. Fortunately, this included a Mets record of hits in 30 straight games.

The longest hitting streak in New York sports since Joe DiMaggio began on August 31, 2007. Alou went 1 for 4 against the Atlanta Braves in his 1900th MLB game. He would get at least one more hit in each game played through September 26. On September 27, he went hitless in a 3-0 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals.

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There are a few oddities in this hitting streak and reasons why it could have gone longer. For instance, on August 30 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Alou walked in his lone plate appearance. He had a six-game hitting streak prior but lost it with this pinch-hitting performance.

The streak ended in a makeup game against the Cardinals. On June 27, the Mets won a 2-0 game against St. Louis in a rain-shortened performance. The next day’s game was rained out and rescheduled for three months later on September 27. I have to wonder if the streak would have gone longer if not for the makeup game.

Alou did go hitless on September 28, but having lost the hitting streak one day earlier, who is to say things wouldn’t have gone differently?

In the final two games of the season, Alou had two more hits.

Alou returned in 2008 hopeful to put together one final productive year. Unfortunately, he was held to only 15 games. Through those games, he had 17 hits.

Hypothetically, if the Cardinals game wasn’t rained out and Alou had a hit in each of his last three games, he would have ended 2007 with a 33-game hitting streak. Even if he had a hit in all 15 games in 2008, he would have come up shy of DiMaggio’s all-time record.

As disappointing of a finish as it was, we have to appreciate what Alou did. Hopefully, his Mets hitting streak record is broken sometime soon.

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For now, let’s enjoy what one of the “old guys” gave us.