The most consecutive games with a walk in MLB history

Nick Kurtz is walking his way right into the history books.

On Thursday, the A's second-year slugger drew an intentional walk, marking his 19th straight game with a walk. That pulled him into a tie with Ted Williams for the third-longest streak of consecutive games with a walk, since walks were first officially tracked.

It's important to note that walks were first tracked for individual batters in the National League beginning in 1910, and in the American League in 1913.

As Kurtz continues to walk his way up the list, let's take a look at the company that he's in. Here's a breakdown of the longest streaks of consecutive games with a walk.

1. Roy Cullenbine, Tigers, 22 games
July 2-22, 1947
Cullenbine’s record has stood for the last 79 years. The two-time All-Star accomplished this legendary feat in the final season of his 10-year career. Despite a .224 batting average, Cullenbine ran a .401 on-base percentage, mostly because he drew 137 walks -- 33 of which came during this 22-game stretch.

2. Barry Bonds, Giants, 20 games
Sept. 9, 2022-April 1, 2003
No one has drawn more walks than Bonds, who holds the all-time MLB record with 2,558 free passes and led the National League in walks 12 different times. So it shouldn't come as a surprise to see Bonds so high up on this list. He drew a walk in 18 straight games to close the 2002 season -- a year in which he racked up 198 walks -- and he opened the 2003 campaign by walking three times in the Giants’ first two games. In total, during his 20-game streak, Bonds earned a whopping 37 free passes.

3-T. Ted Williams, Red Sox, 19 games
Aug. 24-Sept. 14, 1941
You’re probably familiar with Williams’ historic 1941 season for another reason -- that’s the same year that he had a .406 batting average, a mark that no player has come close to matching since. Among his other feats that year, Williams posted a .553 on-base percentage (the highest of his career) while drawing an American League-best 147 walks. This was his first of eight times leading the AL in walks.

3-T. Nick Kurtz, Athletics, 19 games (active)
April 10-30, 2026
Such is the elite company that the 23-year-old Kurtz finds himself in. As a rookie in 2025, Kurtz posted a .383 on-base percentage, ninth highest in the Majors among players to take at least 400 plate appearances. That’s why it wasn’t all that surprising when he began walking at an even higher clip in 2026, his first full big league season. The left-handed slugger hardly ever strays outside the strike zone. Through 30 games, his 33 walks lead the Majors.

5-T. Barry Bonds, Giants, 17 games
May 4-25, 2007
In his final Major League season, Bonds didn’t have a typical swan song: He slashed .276/.480/.565 with 28 home runs and, of course, an NL-high 132 walks. The second-longest stretch of consecutive games with a walk in his career began with three-straight multi-walk games. In total, Bonds drew 27 walks during this streak.

5-T. Nick Johnson, Yankees, 17 games
April 16-May 3, 2003
Johnson carved out a 10-year Major League career in part because of his exceptional ability to get on base. He owns a career .399 on-base percentage. The left-handed hitter worked 24 walks while posting a .532 on-base percentage during his 17-game streak while playing every day as the designated hitter for the Yankees.

5-T. Willie Randolph, Yankees, 17 games
Sept. 18, 1980-April 11, 1981
An 18-year veteran, Randolph posted his best season in the Majors in 1980, when he slashed .294/.427/.407, made the All-Star team and won a Silver Slugger Award. He also led the American League with 119 walks, the only time in his career that he drew more than 100 walks in a season. Randolph had at least one walk in 15 straight games to end the 1980 campaign, then carried his streak over into 1981, where it ended in the season's third game.

5-T. Babe Ruth, Yankees, 17 games
June 1-18, 1921
It’s at least somewhat surprising that the Babe isn’t on this list multiple times, given that he drew 2,062 career walks and finished his hallowed career with a .474 on-base percentage. Ruth's longest stretch of consecutive games with a walk came in 1921, his second year in the Bronx. Already one of the game's premier sluggers, Ruth drew a league-high 145 walks and posted a .512 on-base percentage. Not to mention, he also slugged 59 home runs.

9-T. Barry Bonds, Giants, 16 games
June 20-July 7, 2004
It was a near impossible feat to stop Bonds from getting on base in 2004. He ran a .609 on-base percentage while drawing 232 walks, a staggering total that still stands as the MLB record -- and figures to for quite some time. Thirty-two of those 232 walks came during this 16-game stretch. In typical Bonds fashion, he walked more than one time in 13 of the 16 games.

9-T. Chipper Jones, Braves, 16 games
Aug. 19-Sept. 5, 1999
Every game was critical down the stretch in 1999 for the Braves, who were fending off the D-backs for the best record in the National League while keeping the Mets at arm’s length in the NL East. Jones was at his best in the pennant race. The Hall of Famer drew a walk in 16 straight games spanning August to September, leading the Braves to a 13-3 record during that stretch. Jones ended the 1999 season with a .441 on-base percentage, his second-highest in a full season behind the .470 clip he posted in 2008.

9-T. Jack Clark, Cardinals, 16 games
July 18-Aug. 10, 1987
Clark’s 1987 campaign saw him post the best numbers of his career, with a .286/.459/.597 slashline and a 1.055 OPS. He led the Majors in walks (136) and the NL in on-base percentage (.459) as an All-Star for the Cardinals. Clark’s stretch of 16 consecutive games with a walk happened to come the day after a stretch of 10 consecutive games with a walk ended.

9-T. Toby Harrah, Rangers, 16 games
April 20-May 11, 1985
In his second-to-last year in the Majors, Harrah drew 113 walks -- four shy of his total from the two prior seasons combined -- and posted a .432 on-base percentage for the Rangers. The versatile infielder also had an 11-game stretch with a walk later that May, meaning that he walked in all but four games that month.