Best 2008 Memory #3: The Hot Streak

This week, here on FanGraphs, we’re going to be looking at some of our favorite events from the 2008 season. While this one is a series of events, in total, it’s one of the more amazing things I’ve ever seen on a baseball field, and it didn’t get the recognition it deserved. Check out this stretch from Lance Berkman’s Play Log:

If you got tired of counting up the hits, that’s 18 hits in 23 at-bats. From May 4th to May 10th, the Astros played six games, and Berkman stepped to the plate 29 times, reaching base safely in 24 of them. His line for that stretch: .783/.827/1.434, for a robust 2.262 OPS. His WPA over those 29 plate appearances: 1.49. Even taking leverage out of the equation, his WPA/LI was 0.97 – he was worth nearly a win more than an average hitter in six games.

The stretch included eight straight at-bats with a hit, as well as a totally separate stretch where he reached base in six straight plate appearances. At no point during those six games did he make outs in consecutive trips to the plate.

He terrorized three teams and 16 pitchers (including Ben Sheets, Derek Lowe, and Chad Billingsley), swinging the hottest bat anyone had at any point in 2008. For six glorious days, Lance Berkman was the best hitter anyone has ever seen. This will go down as one of the best weeks anyone has ever had in the history of the game, and we were all around to see it.