When we last visited Chris Davis’ unthinkable struggles at the plate, it was Thursday. The Orioles first baseman was in the midst of an 0-for-38 skid dating back to September of last season. It is now Sunday, and Davis still has not recorded a hit.
It has gotten so bad for Davis that he finds himself three outs away from baseball immortality … for the wrong reasons.
Davis went 0-for-4 at the plate with two strikeouts in Sunday’s 15-3 loss to the Yankees. The latest hitless day put Davis at 0 for his past 44 at-bats. The record for the longest hitless streak is 0-for-46 by Eugenio Velez in 2011.
Orioles fans have long been aware of this near-historic slump. They booed him during Thursday’s home opener. And the boos continued loudly into Sunday. This was the reception after Davis struck out in the seventh inning with two runners in scoring position.
He was booed back to the dugout.
Davis isn’t just in a potentially unprecedented hitting slump. He’s in an unprecedented hitting slump while playing out a $161 million contract.
No matter how poorly Davis continues to play this season, the Orioles will still owe him around $92 million ($42 million will be paid out between 2023 and 2037).
The Orioles are at home again for Monday’s game against the Athletics.
Davis will need a hit sometime in his next three at-bats to avoid the awkwardness of baseball’s worst-ever hitless streak being set in front of the already-frustrated fans.
