Beat the Streak player "csteele12" is now two picks away from tying the all-time BTS leader after Rockies outfielder Carlos González singled Wednesday afternoon.
"Csteele12," whose actual identity remains unknown, is now two shy of tying Terry Sims' all-time Beat the Streak run of 49, set earlier this year. The user also is 10 successful picks from topping Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio's legendary 56-game hitting streak in 1941 and claiming the $5.6 million grand prize.
After finding success with Major League hits leader José Altuve on Tuesday, "csteele12" followed with Gonzalez, who singled in his first at-bat in Wednesday's game against the Brewers at Miller Park. It was a risky pick, as Gonzalez entered the day with just two hits in his past 18 at-bats. Gonzalez also had never faced Milwaukee starter Zach Davies.
User "lzyjk7" is in second place, taking a 39-game streak into Wednesday and doubling down with Washington's Trea Turner and Colorado's David Dahl.
In the "Double Down" feature, participants select two players on the same day. If both picks get a hit, the streak advances by two. If either goes hitless, the streak ends.
In Beat the Streak, participants establish virtual "hitting streaks" by picking one or two big leaguers per day, with participants' runs continuing as long as their selections collect at least one hit. To claim the lifetime's worth of fame and fortune, a Streaker must best DiMaggio's magic hitting-streak total of 56 by one. In nearly 16 years of BTS play, nobody has "bested" Joe D.
It's now easier than ever for players to chase down DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. The "Mulligan" is a one-time streak savior that can be used early on, specifically on streaks that are 10-15 picks long.
BTS players also have access to research filters within the app. Information such as batting-order position, right- or left-handed pitchers and cold opposing pitchers are at fans' disposal. BTS players can also take days off between selections if they don't find ideal matchups.
There's also MLB.com's new BTS challenge -- the ".406 contest," where 0-fer nights are OK. This secondary competition is an ode to Ted Williams' incredible .406 batting average in 1941.
If a player's BTS picks "hit" .406 or better from July 20 through the season's end (with a minimum of 250 plate appearances), he or she will be eligible to win four tickets to six regular-season games in 2017.
Additionally, whenever a season goes by without someone claiming the $5.6 million grand prize, a $10,000 consolation prize is awarded to those atop the calendar year's leaderboard. On top of that, the BTS game-makers hand out millions of other prizes for streaks as small as five.
It would be especially fitting if a BTS user broke the BTS drought this year. After all, it's the 75th anniversary of DiMaggio's remarkable streak, which was commemorated with daily recaps on MLB.com and @TheStreak on Twitter.