Watson sparks Clippers
June 14, 2007 - Brandon Watson went 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 40 games as Columbus took a 3-2 victory over host Ottawa on Thursday.
Watson led off the game with a double to left field to match Frosty Kennedy's 1953 streak for the 13th-longest in Minor League history. He also singled and scored in the third, and added a base hit in the sixth to raise his batting average to .335.
"It's definitely an honor," Watson said of the streak. "I'm having fun with it."
Next up for the 25-year-old center fielder is Jack Lelivelt, who set the International League record with a 42-game streak in 1912. But that's not Watson's main goal.
"I'm just trying to get on base," he said. "The streak is in the back of my head, but I'm just trying to get on base."
Watson is more concerned with helping the Clippers (30-36) and getting back to the Major League level than superstitions or tinkering with his stance.
"We won, so it's a good thing for everyone," he said. "I'm taking the same approach, I'm coming in the same way everyday, The streak has been wonderful, but it's not all skill."
The Clippers broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh when Juan Brito's bases-loaded grounder to third base plated Kory Casto. Darnell McDonald added three hits and a run scored.
Reliever Alexis Morales (1-0) got the win after yielding one hit and a walk with three strikeouts over 1 2/3 scoreless frames. Luis Ayala and Arnie Munos each pitched a scoreless inning before Chris Booker tossed a perfect ninth for his 18th save, second-most in the International League.
Ottawa reliever John Ennis (3-1) gave up one run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings.
Gary Burnham hit a solo shot, his first, in the fifth, and Pedro Swann went 2-for-2 with a run scored and two walks for the Lynx (27-35). --Michael Blinn/MLB.com