Records have risen and fallen throughout MLB history, and that doesn’t look to change any time soon. Ballplayers break their own personal records all the time, and overall, big-time records are there for the taking – except for these three. The following MLB records are pretty rock solid, and they’re so incredible, it’d take a superhuman effort to top them.
Cy Young and His Crazy Win Total
When Cy Young first took the field for the Cleveland Spiders in 1890, he had no inkling that more than a century later, his name would remain on the record books as having the most wins by a pitcher over the course of a career. Young holds the record with a whopping 511 total wins, a record that still stands today, and will likely never be topped.
He averaged 20 wins over a typical 162-game season, and the record was still pretty far out of reach for the No. 2 guy on the list – Walter Johnson, who topped out at 417 wins over his 21-year career, which ended after the 1927 season. The next two players on the list clocked in 373 wins each; the first modern player to get anywhere near there was Greg Maddux, who won 355 games over his 23-year career.
Joe DiMaggio’s Massive Hitting Streak
It’s news these days when an MLB player hits successfully 15 games (or more) in a row. Waiting to see when his hit streak gets broken can be entertainment in and of itself. If someone was doing that when Joe DiMaggio was playing in 1941, though, they had to wait a really long time.
The Yankee Clipper went on a whopping 58-game hitting streak that season, a record which remains to this day. Second in line stands one Willie Keeler, who went 45 games with a hit in 1896-1897. Pete Rose comes in third with 44 games in a row, and it drops off from there with each player going down the line. Will DiMaggio’s 75-year record ever be broken? It certainly doesn’t seem likely.
Cal Ripken Jr. Playing the Most Games in a Row
When someone plays a professional sport, it’s difficult – if not nearly impossible – to never miss a game. Guys get hurt, guys get sick, their wives have babies, and family members die. It’s all part of life, and pro athletes are not immune – except for maybe Cal Ripken Jr., who played an astonishing 2,632 major league games in a row.
The next runner-up is Lou Gehrig, who held this record until Cal broke it in 1995 – Gehrig’s record stands at 2,130, which was considered unbreakable for decades. Chances are, Ripken’s Iron Man record will never be topped, as the No. 3 spot, Everett Scott, only played in 1,307 consecutive games – about half of what Ripken accomplished.
Indestructible Records
While so many MLB records have fallen, there remain a few that have set such a high mark that they’ll presumably never be broken. These three – pitcher win total, hitting streak, and consecutive games played – are pretty much insurmountable, and will likely remain in the record books for decades to come.
If you’re looking to set some records of your own, why not check out Fanatics.com. They have an excellent selection of MLB gear – and yes, you can get DiMaggio jerseys just as easily as Ripken ones.
Sources
- http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/youngcy01.shtml
- http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLV/1890.shtml
- http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/W_career.shtml
- http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Longest_Hitting_Streaks
- http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Most_Consecutive_Games_Played
- http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Ripken_Cal.html
