Los Angeles Angels rookie Nolan Schanuel kept his historic streak at the plate alive Monday night against the Texas Rangers, but it may have come at a cost.
The first baseman led off the first inning with a double, but only after fouling the first pitch off his leg. Schanuel remained in the game, striking out in his next two at-bats, until manager Phil Nevin pulled him in the seventh.
After the game, Nevin told reporters that he noticed Schanuel limping a bit, and that the rookie said his knee was tightening up on him. He said the team would evaluate his status further on Tuesday.
Still, before he was taken out, Schanuel made history with his first-inning double.
Schanuel has now made it on base in 27 games to open his big league career, which is the fourth-longest streak since 1900, per MLB.com's Sarah Langs.
Alvin Davis set the record with 47 straight games in 1984. Before that, Truck Hannah got on base in 38 consecutive games in 1918, and Enos Slaughter got aboard 29 games in a row back in 1938.
Schanuel is batting .284 with a .750 OPS since making his MLB debut on Aug. 18. He has racked up 29 hits and 18 walks in 27 games, bumping his on-base percentage up to .407.
If Schanuel misses any time down the stretch due to this recent knee injury, he may not be able to move up the rookie on-base streak leaderboards again in 2023. The Angels have eight games left on their schedule, meaning the highest Schanuel can move up on the list this season – if the 2023 first round pick stays healthy – is to No. 3 with 35 games in a row.
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