06/24/26 12:48:00
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06/24 00:46 CDT Athletics' Zack Gelof loses hit streak at 24 games after
getting spiked on his right hand
Athletics' Zack Gelof loses hit streak at 24 games after getting spiked on his
right hand
By STEVE KRONER
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --- Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof's 24-game hitting
streak came to a quick and painful end Tuesday night.
Gelof flied out to right as the leadoff hitter in the Athletics' 3-1 loss to
San Francisco. In the second inning, the Giants' Matt Chapman hit a liner off
the left-field wall to bring home Willy Adames and give San Francisco a 2-0
lead.
Chapman tried for a double, but the throw from Tyler Soderstrom in left field
to Gelof was in time to nail Chapman. But Chapman inadvertently stepped on
Gelof's right hand as the second baseman was applying the tag with his glove
hand.
Gelof quickly left the field in obvious pain --- ending his night and his
streak.
He was unavailable for comment after the game, but manager Mark Kotsay said
X-rays were negative and Gelof did not need stitches.
Gelof's hitting streak matched the longest in the majors in the past two
seasons, joining Arizona's Ildemaro Vargas. It's also the seventh longest in
Athletics franchise history and the second longest since the club moved to
California in 1968. Jason Giambi had a 25-game hitting streak in 1997.
Gelof also had his on-base streak of 27 games end, along with a streak of
scoring in 13 consecutive games.
The Athletics selected Gelof from the University of Virginia in the second
round of the 2021 draft. He had a strong rookie season in 2023, batting .267
with 14 homers in 69 games. He struggled the next two seasons, hitting .211
with 188 strikeouts in 2024 and batting .174 last year, when injuries limited
him to 30 games.
Gelof is hitting .282 this season. Before Tuesday's game, Kotsay said one
reason for Gelof's resurgence was a change in his bat-angle approach to the
baseball.
"We're seeing a player that resembles the guy that came up and really excited
us about (his) future," Kotsay said. "The confidence that he has continues to
grow and you see it out there on the baseball field."
Also on Tuesday, Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz went 0 for 4 with three
strikeouts, ending a 22-game on-base streak.
---
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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