Beat the Streak participants have the ability to pick their spots this season, and user "peterose4477" is taking advantage.
Following five days without a pick, "peterose4477" got back in the game on Wednesday, successfully turning to the Cardinals' Matt Carpenter. The BTS active leader thereby increased his or her streak to 41 games, closing in on the 57 needed to pass Joe DiMaggio's record 56-game run in 1941 and collect the $5.6 million grand prize.
BTS players 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.
After the time off, "peterose4477" found a worthy matchup, taking Carpenter against the vulnerable Reds pitching staff at Great American Ball Park. The St. Louis leadoff man doubled in the second inning and finished 1-for-3 with three walks in a 12-7 victory.
In the 15 years since Beat the Streak launched in 2001, no one has won the grand prize. However, if no one claims the grand prize this season, the player with the longest streak gets a $10,000 consolation prize. Two million other prizes also were given out last year, for streaks as small as five.
Beat the Streak also provides more ways to reach that momentous figure of 57 than ever before. Returning options for players include the "Double Down," in which fans can pick two hitters in one day and have a chance to extend their streak by two, and the "Mulligan," which gives fans a do-over when their streaks are between 10 and 15 games long. Fans can also use such filters as batting-order position, handedness, cold opposing pitchers and more to help streamline their decision-making process.
Even with those tools at their disposal, players such as "peterose4477" and others still could find the task challenging. On the other hand, 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.