PHILADELPHIA — In 1956, MLB Hall of Famer Yogi Berra reached base in his first nine plate appearances of the season, the most consecutive appearances since the stat was tracked beginning in 1951. In 2002, three-time Silver Slugger Carlos Delgado broke Berra’s record when he reached base in his first 10 plate appearances of the season.
On Monday, they had company in the form of Washington Nationals outfielder Joey Wiemer. The 27-year-old Wiemer reached in each of his first 10 plate appearances of the season before a final soft grounder to righty Taijuan Walker ended the streak in the fifth inning of a 13-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
His first 11 plate appearances, in order: homer, walk, single, single, homer, triple, walk, single, single, single, groundout.
Joey Wiemer has reached base safely in each of his first TEN plate appearances in 2026!
He ties Carlos Delgado (2002) for the longest streak to start a season in the last 75 years! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/S1lUnuotVm
— MLB (@MLB) March 30, 2026
Nationals starter Foster Griffin got his first win since 2020. And for the first time since 2018, the team is over .500 after the season’s first four games. In improving to 3-1, every member of the starting lineup collected at least one hit. That group included Wiemer, who finished 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.
If Wiemer does not hold the same household resonance as the two men he dethroned on Monday, here is a refresher: The former top 100 prospect found himself staring at the Omaha sky last summer, in Triple A, wondering where his career may go from here. In the seven months that followed, he was cut by three teams.
In March, he was one of the final players to make the Nationals roster. It was a streak that seemed as though it could not die, produced by a man who would not let his career die.
The San Francisco Giants, who designated him for assignment in January, had 13 hits over their first three games. Wiemer has eight.
Even with a platoon disadvantage on Monday, manager Blake Butera knew it would be malpractice to start anyone else. Wiemer hit ninth. At the time the record died, he might have had the best OPS of any nine-hole hitter in MLB history: 2.687.
Wiemer hit a slow ground ball to Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper in the first inning to continue his streak, then seemed to lose a narrow footrace to the bag. However, the Nationals challenged, the replay preserved his streak and Phillies manager Rob Thomson was ejected in protest of the call. In the third, he followed with a soft line drive into center field.
However, that was it for the streak. He chuckled when it ended, trotted slowly back to the dugout and got a few grins upon his return.