SAN FRANCISCO — A promising hitting streak for Oakland Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof came to an abrupt and painful conclusion Tuesday evening in San Francisco.
Gelof started the game as the leadoff batter and flew out to right field in the Athletics’ 3-1 defeat against the Giants. The trouble came in the second inning when San Francisco’s Matt Chapman laced a ball off the left-field wall, scoring Willy Adames and putting the Giants ahead 2-0.
Chapman attempted to stretch the hit into a double, but a relay throw from left fielder Tyler Soderstrom reached Gelof at second base in time. As Gelof applied the tag with his glove hand, Chapman’s foot came down on Gelof’s right hand — an accidental collision that would end Gelof’s night entirely.
Gelof walked off the field in clear discomfort, bringing both his evening and his hitting streak to a close. He was not available to speak with reporters following the game, but manager Mark Kotsay confirmed that X-rays showed no break and that stitches were not needed.
The 24-game streak tied the longest hitting streak in the major leagues over the past two seasons, matching a mark set by Arizona’s Ildemaro Vargas. It also ranks as the seventh longest in Athletics franchise history and the second longest since the team relocated to California in 1968 — Jason Giambi holds the top spot with a 25-game streak back in 1997.
Along with the hitting streak, Gelof also saw his 27-game on-base streak and a run of scoring in 13 straight games both come to an end Tuesday night.
Gelof was drafted by the Athletics out of the University of Virginia in the second round of the 2021 draft. He showed early promise in his 2023 rookie campaign, hitting .267 with 14 home runs across 69 games. The following two seasons proved more difficult — he batted just .211 with 188 strikeouts in 2024, then hit .174 last year while injuries held him to only 30 games.
This season, Gelof is batting .282. Before Tuesday’s contest, Kotsay pointed to an adjustment in Gelof’s bat-angle approach as a key factor in his turnaround.
“We’re seeing a player that resembles the guy that came up and really excited us about (his) future,” Kotsay said. “The confidence that he has continues to grow and you see it out there on the baseball field.”
In other Athletics news from Tuesday, first baseman Nick Kurtz went hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts, snapping his own 22-game on-base streak.
