Ryan Zimmerman's hitting streak ended at 30 games Wednesday. In the process, his appreciation for the game and for one of its most hallowed records grew even larger.
With an 0-for-3, two-walk performance against the Giants, the Nationals third baseman saw a streak that began April 8 end just as the country was starting to take notice. He became only the seventh player to reach 30 games this decade and the 26th to reach that level since Joe DiMaggio set the all-time record of 56 games in 1941. "To get a hit every single game, there's got to be a little bit of luck involved, obviously," he said. "But it's not wasting at-bats. It's not swinging at bad pitches. It's hard to do every game, to put four good at-bats together, especially facing the talent you've got on the mound. For (DiMaggio) to do that 56 games in a row is pretty unbelievable."
Zimmerman's streak brought some rare positive press to a Nationals club that has struggled on the field and made plenty of negative headlines in the process.
"I think we have gotten a little bit of attention because of him," manager Manny Acta said. "We know that we're better than we have played. ... It puts us a little bit on the map with what he did, but the main thing is he's going to be able to start another one on Friday, because that's how good he is."
NATIONALS 6, GIANTS 3: Ryan Zimmerman's hit streak may have ended at 30 games, but the third baseman happily traded that personal achievement in for a much-needed Washington win. Rookie Shairon Martis improved to 5-0 with seven strong innings, and a Nationals bullpen that has struggled all year managed to cobble together six outs and end the team's three-game losing streak.
