Unbreakable Baseball Records

[bad hammy]

The rebirth of the Ichiro thread reminds me that the local sports talk radio guys yesterday were ruminating on unbreakable baseball records. The usual suspects were discussed, but I came across one recently that I think tops them all.

From 1901 through 1907 pitcher Jack Taylor of the Chicago Cubs pitched 187 consecutive complete games, including 39 complete games in 1904 (the single season record).

[Jnathletics]

Anything is possible with their drug testing standards. :P

[bad hammy]

Anything is possible with their drug testing standards. :P

Apparently you haven't looked at the T&F record books lately . . .

[Marlow]

Re: Unbreakable Baseball Records

From 1901 through 1907 pitcher Jack Taylor of the Chicago Cubs pitched 187 consecutive complete games, including 39 complete games in 1904 (the single season record).

That's an unfair one to cite, because it CAN'T be broken any more - the game has changed too much. It's like the record for most drop kicks made in a season. But DiMaggio's hit streak could be, but it won't, Ichiro notwithstanding.

[highjumpfan]

A modern record not to be broken any time soon, 130 steals in a season. No one gets the green light like that any more. Carl Crawford is having a phenomenal season on the base paths and he has no chance. Maybe Justin Gatlin could take up baseball and become a pinch runner. He seems to have some time on his hands these days sadly.

[bad hammy]

Re: Unbreakable Baseball Records

From 1901 through 1907 pitcher Jack Taylor of the Chicago Cubs pitched 187 consecutive complete games, including 39 complete games in 1904 (the single season record).

That's an unfair one to cite, because it CAN'T be broken any more - the game has changed too much.

Granted, it is unlikely to be broken in part because of the changes in the game. But I cite it because it is at least as unbreakable as Cy Young's 511 wins (or his 316 losses and 827 decisions for that matter) and yet it is so obscure that probably the only person around here who had heard of it is cullman. And yet it is an incredible Iron Man performance.

[Marlow]

Maybe Justin Gatlin could take up baseball

Nope. The Oakland A's signed Herb Washington, one of fastest starters EVER in indoor track, and he couldn't do it.

[EPelle]

A modern record not to be broken any time soon, 130 steals in a season. No one gets the green light like that any more. Carl Crawford is having a phenomenal season on the base paths and he has no chance. Maybe Justin Gatlin could take up baseball and become a pinch runner. He seems to have some time on his hands these days sadly.

Yes, that is a very, very, very tall order, as Henderson is the only AL player to steal 100+ bases in a season. Crawford may surpass his 59 from 2004, but he'll stay put in that AL black hole of which only Henderson successfully traversed.

My favourite Rickey Henderson story: "In the early 1980s, the Oakland A’s accounting department was freaking out. The books were off $1 million. After an investigation, it was determined Rickey was the reason why. The GM asked him about a $1 million bonus he had received and Rickey said instead of cashing it, he framed it and hung it on a wall at his house."

[bijanc]

Untouchable Diamond

No matter how many PED's are used, no one will better Bob Gibson's modern ERA of 1.12, or DiMag's 56-game hit streak hitting safely.

Nolan Ryan's 7 no-no's and career K's are safe.

[gh]

Gibson's ERA record is safe if for no other reason than because he did it off a mound 5 inches higher. He's the main reason they lowered it. Didn't they also tighten the strike zone?

[Marlow]

Rickey said instead of cashing it, he framed it and hung it on a wall at his house."

I had a buddy in the Navy whose desk was near mine. I had to go into one of his drawers to get a file and noticed a pile of uncashed pay checks, some over a year old. I asked him WTF, and he said his wife had a sizable trust fund and they lived comfortably off her money. Felt it would be somehow unpatriotic to cash govt checks he didn't need. I tried to convince him that I could use them, but he eventually had to cash them when the GAO auditors bugged him. I think he invested the whole thing and made a killing in the stock market! :roll:

[dukehjsteve]

It has been 68 years since Ted Williams hit .400, .406 to be exact. Yes, I think someone might hit .400, but no one, repeat no one, will ever beat Rogers Hornsby's .424.

[Halfmiler2]

I think Cy Young's 511 career wins is pretty safe.

It would not surprise me to see someone eventually match DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak. Streaks are very flukey things which is why I view them as less important and less valuable than other records. For example, DiMaggio hit about .425 or .430 during his hitting streak but Williams hit over .400 for the WHOLE season during the same year. I view that as far more significant. Nobidy thought Gehrig's consecutive game streak would ever be broken either, and then along came Ripken.

[cullman]

Johnny Vander Meer's record of 2 consecutive no-hitters. A pitcher would have to throw three consecutive complete game no-hitters to break this record.

cman

[unclezadok]

I think Cy Young's 511 career wins is pretty safe.

It would not surprise me to see someone eventually match DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak. Streaks are very flukey things which is why I view them as less important and less valuable than other records. For example, DiMaggio hit about .425 or .430 during his hitting streak but Williams hit over .400 for the WHOLE season during the same year. I view that as far more significant. Nobidy thought Gehrig's consecutive game streak would ever be broken either, and then along came Ripken.

DiMaggio hit .408 during his streak--thus proving your point even more.