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RECORDS THAT WILL NEVER BE BROKEN
To most longtime fans, baseball is still the greatest game every invented. Not only do we relish what happens between the lines, but we’ve always loved the numbers – the stats and the records. They’re almost as much a part of the game as the play itself. By the time I went to my first game, somewhere around the age of ten or eleven, I already knew that Babe Ruth had hit 60 home runs in a season and 714 for his career. I also knew that Ty Cobb had 4,191 hits (now revised to 4,189) and had a .367 lifetime batting average (now revised to .366). I loved reading the box scores and all the baseball history I could absorb at that young age.
And it never really stops. You think about the great records that have been set and are actually surprised when some of them are broken. But how about records that will never be broken? Is that possible? After all, it’s often been said that records are made to be broken. Yet in baseball, for various reasons, there are some that may never be broken. I’m just going to mention five of them and give my opinion on why they’ll stand forever. I’m not saying they’re the top five and I’m not putting them in any kind of order. So here they are
Ty Cobb’s lifetime batting average of .366
This one shouldn’t be surprising. The Georgia Peach was arguably the best player in the Dead Ball Era and what a hitter. Not only did he win 12 batting titles, but took nine in a row between 1907 and 1915. He hit over .400 twice and over .380 on five other occasions. Despite hitting just 117 home runs with the dead ball, he drove in 100 or more runs on seven occasions. That’s hitting.
It’s a no-brainer to realize that no one will ever approach those batting averages again. The game has changed. The best hitter for average in the modern era was Tony Gwynn, who retired with a .338 mark. The great Ted Williams, who some call baseball’s greatest hitter, logged in at .344. With today’s game trending more toward a home run and strikeout game, averages are lower than ever. Ty Cobb is not only safe, he’s miles ahead safe, and so is his record.
Nolan Ryan’s 5,714 Career Strikeouts
Nolan Ryan
This is another untouchable mark. Ryan pitched from 1966 to 1993, being in the minors in 1967. But that’s 27 years. And he was still throwing his great fastball at the age of 46. He fanned more than 300 hitters in a season six times, including a record 383 in 1973. Even though some of today’s pitchers have reached the 300 K mark in a season, they simply don’t pitch enough and won’t last as long as Ryan to even approach his record. And the way they baby pitchers today, along with the epidemic of Tommy John surgeries, Ryan’s longevity stands out as an amazing feat.
Some criticize him for walking too many hitters and even losing too many games. However, his 324-292 lifetime mark included pitching for a lot of bad teams. The one thing he did better than anyone was strike hitters out. Oh yes, then there’s his seven no hitters, another record that will never be matched or broken. He always put on a show.
Pete Rose’s Record of 4,256 Hits
Pete Rose may be considered a baseball pariah after being given a lifetime ban for betting on baseball, but there’s no denying his greatness or his ability to get base hits. Pete was a switch hitter who played for 24 years, a ferocious competitor who didn’t miss many games and treated each at bat as if it was a war. He went over the 200-hit mark in ten seasons and was the guy who broke Cobb’s hit mark. In today’s game, with hits at a premium, it’s hard to see anyone even approaching his record.
Ironically, the one contemporary player who might have had a chance to top him was Ichiro Suzuki, the Japanese star who came the the majors in 2001 at the age of 27 and proceeded to collect 3,089 hits. He also had 1,278 more in Japan. That’s a total of 4,367 hits in the two leagues, more than Rose. Had Ichiro come to the majors at, say, age 21, he may have broken Pete’s mark. He was a uniquely talented player who bunted often and got a lot of leg hits. His type of player may never be seen again and Rose will remain the hit king always.
Walter Johnson’s 110 Shutouts
Walter Johnson
This one is another laugher. The Big Train pitched from 1907 to 1927, mostly in the Dead Ball Era when great pitchers dominated. He was considered one of the fastest pitchers ever with a sidearm delivery that often handcuffed hitters. Not
only was he the first pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts for his career, but he won 417 games and completed 531 of them – numbers unheard of today. Grover Cleveland “Pete” Alexander is second with 90 shutouts and also pitched in that era.
With today’s pitchers rarely finishing games due to pitch counts and the crazy parade of relievers we’re seeing, the compete game shutout has become a rarity. Not only will Johnson’s record never be broken, no one will ever remotely challenge it.
Joe Sewell’s Striking Out Just 114 Times In His Career
This may be an obscure one and today almost impossible to believe, but Joe
Joe Sewell
Sewell, a little infielder who played for Cleveland and the Yankees between 1920 and 1933, was the hardest man to whiff in the history of the game. In 7,132 at bats, the lefthanded hitting Sewell struck out just 114 times. In 1925, Sewll had 608 official at bats and fanned just four times. Yes, four! Many players today pass his lifetime
total in a single season. But back then players just didn’t like to strike out and Sewell must have disliked it more than anyone. His mantra was put the bat on the ball. There’s no need to discuss why this record will never be broken. It’s obvious. And, yes, Joe Sewell is in the Hall of Fame.
So there are five all time marks I’m sure will never be touched. There are others of course, but I’m going to leave it up to our readers to comment and give me some other records they feel will stand forever. Look forward to hearing from you.
Bill Gutman
As always, we enjoy reading your comments
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Comments:
I would only add that Joe Sewell struck out 114 times in 8,333 plate appearances rather than just at bats. The1,201 times he drew a walk, sacrificed or even got hit by a pitch were times he avoided a strikeout. -Ed Cassidy
Just a footnote to the nice piece on Joe Sewell: Joe used only one (1) bat over the entire course of his 14 year career in the Major Leagues. It was a 40 oz black bat modeled after the bat(s) Ty Cobb used. -Tom Hine
Here are some others I think won’t be touched:
Ted Williams’ career OB% — .482.
Babe Ruth’s career slugging % — .690.
Sam Crawford’s career triples — 309.
Tris Speaker’s career doubles — 792.
Billy Hamilton’s runs scored in one season — 198 (1894).
Rogers Hornsby’s cumulative batting average over 5 consecutive seasons — .401.
-David Anthony Denny
Sam Crawford’s 309 career triples. Never to be closely approached. -Craig Soderberg
Did I miss the listing for Cy Young and his 511 wins? – Ken Simons
Bill, How about Hack Wilson’s single-season RBI total of 191 in 1930? The closest that any modern-day player has come is Manny Ramirez, who had 165 in 1999. -Everett Shockley
Right Bill, we revel in this stuff! Thanks for another provocative post. Let me add a couple of items.
In the Modern Era (1920 forward), no pitcher touches HF hurler Robin Roberts’ six consecutive seasons with over 300 innings pitched, 1950-1955. He averaged 323 IP over that span. Talk about a rubber arm!
Also, your amazing Joe Sewell review leads me to two individual seasons, where Yogi Berra (’50, 597 AB) and Don Mueller (’55, 605 AB ) each struck out only 12 times. For their careers, Berra 415 whiffs/7555 AB; Mueller 146 whiffs/4364 AB. Modern Era records? And Berra was a bad ball hitter!
Right, Bill. Those guys hated to strike out. Today it’s almost become a badge of honor. Strike out twice and all is well if you hit a home run the third time out. And if you achieve the dreaded Golden Sombrero, there’s always tomorrow when you can continue swinging for the fences. That’s why in another blog I suggested that Walter Johnson might be the greatest strikeout pitcher of all time. He achieved his 3,500 plus K’s in an era when few struck out. Today, it’s the norm.
Good article.
One correction: The photo identified as Nolan Ryan is Jerry Koosman.
Look at Joe Dimaggio’s 1941season. 622 plate appearance with only 13 Ks.
That’s the year Ted Williams hit .406 and lost out on the MVP to Joe D.
Thanks Steve, it’s been corrected.
Bill & Gary,
In my previous email I was suggesting Robin Roberts’ iron man innings pitched stint (1950-1955) is a modern day baseball record spanning 101 years, which will never be broken.
Also, that no player, since 1920, has struck out fewer times in a season, with 400 or more at bats, than Yogi Berra (1950) and Don Mueller (1955). In addition, one or both, may have the lowest strikeouts/at bat ratio since the lively ball era began. If those stats holds up, those records will never be broken.
Or, to be considered, must a record also go back into the dead ball era?
That’s a great point, Bill, about Walter Johnson being the greatest strikeout artist ever–when they didn’t strike out much!
What mph do they estimate his speed?
Hey Bill. To answer your previous question All-time records encompass the Dead Ball Era. Sometimes you’ll see that so-and-so holds a record for such-and-such post dead ball, or since 1950, something like that. How do you like the so-and-so’s and the such-and-such’s. Just came off the top of my head. As far as Johnson is concerned there have been estimate. My guess is he threw in at least the mid-90s, maybe more. I did read once that Johnson himself once said, “No one throws harder than [Smoky] Joe Wood. No one.” But Johnson had that slingshot sidearm delivery with a nice, loose, easy motion. Think there are some brief videos on You Tube of him throwing or warming up.
Bill-
So, forthwith we’ll refer to Robin Roberts as a so and so who had quite a such and such skein of innings pitched somewhere post 1949. Likewise, that so and so Yogi Berra was pretty good at getting his bat on the ball. Not sure Don Mueller is even worth mentioning–even in the so and so, such and such category.
I’m now going to concentrate on the Cricket ball era, from around 1871-1884, when they threw from 50 feet underhanded. I understand one so and so back early in that time could really chop a baseball with that such and such he held in his hand.
The Big Train had a nice, easy motion, as you say, and I also heard he threw mid-90’s. Always hoped to hear he topped 100.
Best, Bill (an old so and so)
For some unknown reason, I was thinking Joe Sewell played in the dead ball era. It pays to go back and check. So, Berra and Mueller are worth noting as honorable mentions, since 1920.
As well as Steve Cline’s observation that The Yankee Clipper fanned only 13 times in his historic ’41 season.
Hey Bill,
Haha. I’m really paying a price for my so-and-so and such-and-such. Guess I won’t do that again unless, of course, I get an inspiration. Joe Sewell played from 1920 to 1933. Right up there with him is a Dead Ball Era star, Wee Willie Keeler, who played from 1892 to 1910 and struck out just 136 times. And great players in the ’40s and ’50s didn’t strike out all that much. Today it’s an acceptable epidemic.
Bill
And to further amplify your point, Bill, “Mandrake,” from ’53-’55, struck out only 42 times, in 1704 at bats.
He struck out 146 times in a 12 year career. Pete Alonso struck out 183 times in 2019.
Epidemic is right on!
Johnny Vander Meer! How can you break that record?