Major League Baseball's Unbreakable Records
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by user The shark
It's one of my favorite debates: What is MLB's most unbreakable record?
(For the purposes of this debate, I will go back to 1901.)
Over the last 105 years, thousands of players have participated in hundreds of thousands of games of professional baseball and, in the process, have provided millions of people with lifetimes worth of memories. And by simply playing the game they loved, hundreds of these players have woven themselves into the rich tapestry of America, leaving an indelible thumbprint on our nation's history.
Some of these players have transcended their sport, or even sports in general, because of the scope of their achievements within the game. Here are a few of the more impressive achievements. Which one do you view as the most impressive? Or the least likely to be broken? (Apologies to Barry Bonds, I have chosen to ignore your chemically enhanced numbers.)
56 Game Hitting Streak - Joe DiMaggio
This is undoubtedly one of MLB's most treasured landmarks. The year was 1941 and Joltin' Joe gave Americans a most-welcome diversion from the gathering international storm clouds, if even for only a couple of months. My favorite part of this story is that one game after being held hitless by Al Smith and Jim Bagby, Dimaggio began another hitting streak that would last 16 games, meaning he had actually hit safely in 72 of 73 games! Pete Rose has since come the closest to reaching this fabled number with a 44 game streak in 1978.
For a game-by-game breakdown of Joe's streak, click here.
59 Straight Scoreless Innings Pitched - Orel Hershiser
Here's a little known fact: Hershiser achieved the 59th inning of his impressive streak by pitching a scoreless tenth inning after holding the Padres scoreless through nine in a game the Dodgers would eventually lose in 16. When he finally gave up a run in the first inning of his first outing in 1989, his ERA over his previous 59 innings stood at an eye-popping 0.15. In 1988, Hershiser went 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA and his team won the World Series. Not a bad little year, eh? The record "The Bulldog" broke? Don Drysdale's 58.2 innings.
84 Consecutive Converted Save Opportunities - Eric Gagne
This impressive streak began on August 26, 2002 and ran through July 6, 2004. For me, the most impressive part of this streak is the amount of time it covered, meaning Gagne had to be dominant, almost perfect over what amounted to two entire baseball seasons. The streak was ended by an RBI-double by Luis Gonzalez in the bottom of the ninth inning on 6/6/04.
4256 Base Hits (Career) - Pete Rose
Here is the only way I know how to put this record into perspective - in order to break this record, one would need to achieve 200 hits a year for 21.28 seasons!! That is unfathomable. Wade Boggs achieved 200 hits 7 times in his career. Rod Carew, 4 times. Ty Cobb, only 9.
7 No-Hitters (Career) - Nolan Ryan
Twenty pitchers since 1901 have thrown more than one no-hitter. Three pitchers have thrown more than two (Ryan, Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax). Two have thrown more than three (Ryan, Koufax). Only one has thrown more than four. And he has thrown seven. SEVEN!
2 Consecutive No-Hitters - Johnny Vander Meer
Wow. Over the course of five magical days in 1938, Vander Meer was the most dominant pitcher in the history of baseball, blanking the Braves and Dodgers in back-to-back starts. The only way to break this record is to hurl three no-hitters in a row. Does anybody seriously think that may ever happen? No way.
130 Stolen Bases (Season) - Rickey Henderson
For good measure, you could throw in Rickey's ridiculous career total of 1406 swipes, but I am more impressed with his record from 1982. Lou Brock's 118 in 1974 is the only single-season total within 20 of Rickey's mark. And 20 stolen bases is a lot in its own right, especially in this era. Out of the 8 times 100 steals have been achieved, 3 of them belong to Rickey. In 1982, Henderson actually reached first base 259 times, meaning he swiped a base more than 50% of the time he reached a base. Speed kills.
41 Pitching Victories (Single Season) - Jack Chesbro
This record dates back to 1904 and most certainly will never be broken, though mainly due to the changes in strategies and the emergence of specialty roles in the modern game. But an impressive number, nonetheless.
511 Pitching Victories (Career) - Cy Young
See above. A huge number but a dead era. Interstingly, though, Cy Young also holds the all-time record for pitching losses with 315.
2632 Consecutive Games Played - Cal Ripken, Jr.
Perspective: One would need to play in every game of every season for 16.24 seasons to equal "The Ironman's" streak. No injuries, no flu bugs, no massive slumps, no offspring born, no family deaths, no freak accidents, no nothing. You show up, you play. Everyday. Every year. Miguel Tejada is the closest active player and he hasn't yet achieved the 1000-mark.
.366 Batting Average (Career) - Ty Cobb
.366 for a 24-year career? What?! This may well be MLB's most unbreakable record. Why? Since 1971, that number has been achieved for a season only ten times. To show that kind of consistency over the course of 24 years would be truly amazing.
5714 Strikeouts (Career) - Nolan Ryan
Roger Clemens is second on this list and is only 1212 behind Nolan. At this rate, Clemens would have to achieve his career average in K's (225/year) for almost five and a half more years. Not that he couldn't. In fact, it's entirely possible that he could (I learned to never doubt "The Rocket") - but he is not going to play for 5 more years. I don't think he'll even play for 2 more years. Randy Johnson is 1273 K's behind Ryan but he doesn't seem like he has 5 years left in his arm either.
.424 Batting Average (Season) - Rogers Hornsby
In 1924, Hornsby achieved 227 hits in just 536 official at-bats. While I am one of the seemingly few who believe that a .400 batting average is still possible, I do not believe that an average of .424 is. This one is pretty high on my list of the "unbreakables." Interestingly, Hornsby followed up his record '24 campaign with a .403 in 1925. Perhaps an unbreakable record for back-to-back seasons.
Those are my top 13. There are several others out there that deserve consideration. Let me know if I missed one that ranks high on your list. And let the debating begin!
Date
Sat 06/17/06, 6:26 am EST
