The consecutive hitless streak of Joc Pederson (33), who shared a meal with Ryu Hyun-jin (38, Hanwha Eagles) during their time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been extended to 41 at-bats. This is the most disgraceful record for the Texas Rangers.

On the 23rd (Korea time), Pederson was selected as the designated hitter batting sixth in an away game against the 2025 Major League Athletics at the Super Health Park in Sacramento, California, where he went 0-for-3 with one strikeout.

It started with two outs and a runner on second base in the first inning when he faced Athletics starter Osvaldo Bido and was struck out looking. With a 2-2 count, he watched a changeup come into the zone on the sixth pitch and went down swinging. In the third inning, with two outs and a runner on first, he connected with a high four-seam fastball from Bido but was caught in the right field.

In the fifth inning, he pulled a low changeup on the second pitch from Bido well, but it resulted in a line drive right to the first baseman, leaving him disappointed. In the seventh inning, Pederson, substituted by Jonah Heim against left-hander Jacob Lopez, failed to record a hit again.

As a result, Pederson has been in a silent streak of 41 at-bats without a hit since his infield hit on third base against the Cincinnati Reds on the 3rd. During this period, he has managed to get on base with three walks, recording a batting average of .071, while striking out 13 times and hitting into three double plays, suffering through the worst slump of his career. Based on games played, this marks 12 consecutive games without a hit.

Ultimately, this has set a new record for the most disgraceful streak in the Texas organization. It surpassed the previous record of 39 consecutive at-bats without a hit by last year's rookie Justin Foscue. The league record for this category is 54 consecutive at-bats without a hit, set by Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles from Sept. 15, 2018, to April 14, 2019. Including the record for non-position players, the highest is 85 consecutive at-bats without a hit, achieved by Bob Uecker over two years from 1962 to 1963.

Pederson's overall performance this season shows a batting average of .052 over 19 games (58 at-bats, 3 hits), with no home runs, no runs batted in, 2 runs scored, 5 walks, and 16 strikeouts, resulting in an on-base percentage of .141, slugging percentage of .069, and OPS of .210. After debuting with the Dodgers in 2014, the left-hitting slugger Pederson has recorded a total of 209 home runs in 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. Last year, he had a solid performance with a batting average of .275 over 132 games (367 at-bats, 101 hits), hitting 23 home runs and 64 RBIs with an OPS of .908.

Using this as a springboard, he signed a free-agent contract worth $37 million over two years with Texas last winter. This year's salary is $18.5 million, approximately 26.3 billion won, but no one expected he would perform this poorly. Although he included an opt-out clause that allows him to become a free agent after the season, he cannot exercise it with his current performance.

Texas, which has a record of 14 wins and 9 losses (.609 win percentage), is cruising in first place in the American League (AL) West, but concerns are deepening as Pederson, the sixth-highest-paid player on the team, continues to struggle. Bruce Bochy, Texas's manager, noted on the 20th that "he doesn't seem like a player who has lost confidence. He looks good, being the first to come out of the dugout to congratulate his teammates. He must be eager to contribute to the team, and I believe he will."

Bochy, who moved Pederson's batting order from 3-4 to 5-6, mentioned, "Ultimately, it's timing. There's no need to work harder or make big changes. A few good hits would change the momentum. Taking a few days off could help," and he rested Pederson on the 21st against the Dodgers. However, after having two days off until the 22nd without a game, Pederson went silent again on the 23rd against the Athletics, failing to record a hit, showing no refreshing effect.

The U.S. 'Sporting News' reported that "Pederson is in a slump worse than anyone could have imagined. Once a powerful hitter, he now struggles to record even one hit, going 0-for-40. It remains to be seen how long this record will last. It's akin to a batting yips phenomenon. It's really unfortunate. Texas probably didn't expect to see this when they signed him. A combination of bad luck, skill decline, and plain slumps means Pederson is currently experiencing the worst season in the league. It's truly horrific, brutal, and a disastrous record."

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