Beat the Streak leader "chuckbinsc" went with his tried-and-true strategy of picking a player from his beloved Red Sox on Sunday. But while Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia came through with a 1-for-3 day, the other half of "chuckbinsc"'s "Double Down" tandem could not follow suit.
Orioles shortstop Manny Machado went 0-for-2 at the plate at rain-soaked Camden Yards, thereby ending a 41-game streak for "chuckbinsc", whose real name is Charles Bresnahan. That means only one BTS player -- "peterose4477" -- is currently maintaining a streak of at least 40 games in the ultimate pursuit of Joe DiMaggio's record 56-game run in 1941.
"Peterose4477" is sitting on a 40-game streak, roughly 70 percent of the way to the target of 57 consecutive correct picks -- one more than DiMaggio -- and therefore the $5.6 million grand prize, after sitting out for the last three days. 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.
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 like "peterose4477" and others could still 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.