This season's longest hitting streak and top Beat the Streak run ended simultaneously Thursday night, as Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. went 0-for-4 vs. the Rockies.
BTS participant "Bigpapi123," who declined to give a last name but identified himself as Charles from Connecticut, had his streak stall at 41 due to Bradley's 0-fer. That means he'll have to start over in the chase for 57 consecutive correct picks -- one more than Joe DiMaggio's famed hitting streak in 1941 -- and therefore the $5.6 million grand prize.
The streaker also selected Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts on Thursday using the "Double Down" feature, whereby a BTS participant picks two players on the same day. If both get a hit, the streak advances by two. If either goes hitless, the streak ends.
Bogaerts extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a first-inning single, but Bradley went without a base knock for the first time since April 23. His 29-game hitting streak is tied for fourth longest in Red Sox history with Johnny Damon's stretch in 2005. The franchise's longest? Joe D.'s brother, Dom DiMaggio, with 34 in 1949.
Charles leaned heavily on players from his favorite team, the Red Sox, throughout his march to 41 straight correct picks, using a Boston player for every selection.
He still owns the high-water mark this season, as the other BTS player with an active streak of at least 40 also had his run end on Thursday. Bill Arter, a 68-year-old retiree from Decatur, Ill., whose username is "basa688," selected Bogaerts on Thursday as well. But his other choice -- Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado -- went hitless.
If nobody wins the grand prize this season, the player with the longest streak still gets a $10,000 consolation prize. Two million other prizes also were given out last year, for streaks as small as five.
Features such as the Double Down and the "Mulligan," which is a one-time streak savior that can be used specifically on runs that are between 10 and 15 picks long, make winning BTS easier than ever. Players also can take as many days off as they want during a streak if the matchups aren't attractive, as long as they reach 57 by season's end.
Having a BTS player topple the marvelous mark of 56 would be particularly fitting this season -- the 75th anniversary of DiMaggio's hitting streak, which began on May 15, 1941, and is being honored with daily recaps on MLB.com and @TheStreak on Twitter.