NEW YORK — MLB.com has launched additional features in its "Beat the Streak presented by Burger King" free fantasy baseball game, from mobile apps to increasing the $1 million grand prize by $10,000 every day until a fan breaks the previous hitting streak of 56 games.
Beat the Streak is a free fantasy game that gives contestants a chance to win at least $1 million if they can sustain a hitting streak of at least 57 games to surpass the legendary all-time mark of 56 games. Each day, contestants choose a Major League player they think will get a hit. If a selected player delivers a hit on that day, the streak continues and the contestant chooses either another player or the same player the following day. If a selected player ever goes hitless for that day, the streak ends.
The game has 153 players with active streaks of at least 20 consecutive games. As of June 1, the prize increases $10,000 every day that a fan does not record a sustained hitting streak that reaches 57 consecutive games. The grand prize will progressively grow until it is capped for the 2009 season at $1.5 million. Also, beginning today, fans can participate in Beat the Streak Presented by Burger King at wap.mlb.com across select mobile devices for the first time.
The King is featured prominently across all three platforms in support of this year's Beat the Streak promotion, including a new weekly offering on MLB.com called "Kings at the Plate." Fans can use Kings at the Plate as a resource to help make their selections, as it contains daily listings of three players who have been tabbed as editors' choices based on relevant statistical data for that day's matchups. Players can also go to "The King's Leaderboard" to see how they're faring against the current and season leaders.
For the first time as well, fans are participating in Beat the Streak via their account on Facebook as part of a partnership with Citizen Sports, provider of fantasy sports on social networks. An extension of the game at MLB.com, fans communicate daily selections to all of their friends across the network and by linking the Facebook account to their personal account on MLB.com they can compete for the grand prize.
Beat the Streak presented by Burger King also is included twice per week on MLB Network's signature program, "MLB Tonight." The segment on MLB Network features current players' hitting streaks and some of the all-time greatest streaks.
