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List of Major League Baseball records considered unbreakable
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Johnny Vander Meer's elusive record of back-to-back no-hitters has been described as "the most unbreakable of all baseball records"[1] by LIFE.
The following Major League Baseball records are generally considered unlikely to ever be broken. The information is compiled from various sources including sportswriters, players, and fans. Many of these were initially set by either freak occurrences of greatness or during the early decades of baseball when certain rules, techniques, and fundamentals were in place that have since drastically evolved, making it almost impossible to replicate such feats in today's game.
Contents
1 Pitching records
1.1 Most career wins – 511
1.2 Most wins in a season – 59
1.3 Most career complete games – 749
1.4 Most complete games in a season – 75
1.5 Most consecutive complete games (since 1900) – 39; Most consecutive games without being relieved – 202
1.6 Most career shutouts – 110
1.7 Most consecutive no-hitters – 2
1.8 Most career no-hitters – 7
1.9 Most career strikeouts – 5,714
1.10 Most career bases on balls – 2,795
1.11 Most career saves – 652
1.12 Most innings pitched in a season – 680
1.13 Most career wild pitches thrown – 343
2 Hitting records
2.1 Most career hits – 4,256
2.2 Most consecutive seasons with 200 hits – 10
2.3 Most career triples – 309
2.4 Most triples in a season – 36
2.5 Most home runs in a game – 4
2.6 Most grand slams in a single inning – 2
2.7 Highest career batting average – .367
2.8 Highest single-season batting average – .440
2.9 Most RBI’s in a single season – 191
2.10 Highest career on-base percentage – .482
2.11 Longest hitting streak – 56 games
2.12 Most career home runs by an American League pitcher – 37
2.13 Most career sacrifice bunts – 512
3 Other records
3.1 Most consecutive games played – 2,632
3.2 Most career stolen bases – 1,406
3.3 Most All-Star Games played – 25
3.4 Most wins, losses and games managed – 3,731, 3,948 and 7,755
3.5 Most road losses, season
3.6 World Series records
3.7 Attendance records
4 References
5 External links
Pitching records[edit]
Cy Young holds records in career wins and complete games. Many sportswriters consider these records unbreakable.[2][3][4]
Most career wins – 511[edit]
Set by Cy Young, 1890–1911.[2][3][4] Highlights include five 30-win seasons and fifteen 20-win seasons.[5] The next closest player is Walter Johnson, with 94 fewer wins at 417; he was the only other player to have reached 400.[6] The most wins by a pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 live-ball era is Warren Spahn's 363.
For a player to accomplish this, he would have to average 25 wins in 20 seasons just to get to 500. In the past 38 years, only 3 pitchers (Ron Guidry in 1978, Bob Welch in 1990, and Steve Stone in 1980[7]) have had one season with 25 wins.[8] Between 2000 and 2009, the Major League leader finished each year with an average of 21. Only two active players have even 200 wins, with the 45-year-old Bartolo Colón leading with 242 wins and the 38-year-old CC Sabathia just behind at 239.[9]
Most wins in a season – 59[edit]
Set by Old Hoss Radbourn, in 1884.[10] Most pitchers in today's game start 30–35 games per season, and thus do not start enough games to break the record. The most games started by a pitcher in the 2017 season was 34, accomplished by Chris Archer, and only three pitchers in the 21st century have started more than 35 games in a season (Tom Glavine in 2002 and Roy Halladay and Greg Maddux in 2003, each with 36 starts).[11] Although relief pitchers often appear in more than the requisite number of games, they rarely record ten wins in a season. To put this record in further perspective, the last pitcher to win 30 games in a season was Denny McLain in 1968 and the last pitcher to win 25 games in a season was Bob Welch in 1990. Also, the most wins in a season by any pitcher in the 21st century is 24, by Randy Johnson in 2002 and Justin Verlander in 2011.[12]
Most career complete games – 749[edit]
Set by Cy Young, 1890–1911.[3] Highlights of this record include: nine 40-complete-game seasons, eighteen 30-complete-game seasons[5] and completing 92 percent of his total career starts (an all-time record of 815).[3] The next closest player is Pud Galvin, who has 103 fewer complete games at 646. Among pitchers whose entire careers were in the live-ball era, the most is 382 by Warren Spahn.
For a player to accomplish this, he would have to average 30 complete games over 25 seasons to get to 750. Between 2000 and 2009, the Major League leaders in complete games averaged 8 per season, and only two pitchers in the 21st century have had 10 complete games in any season (CC Sabathia with 10 in 2008 and James Shields with 11 in 2011).[13] In addition, only two pitchers other than Young have even started as many as 749 games—Nolan Ryan (773) and Don Sutton (756).[14] The closest active player is Sabathia with 38 complete games.[15]
The quest for any complete-game records, either over a career or over a single season, is further complicated by the drastic change in philosophy embraced by virtually all modern managers and pitching coaches, motivated in roughly equal parts by more advanced modern-day medical knowledge of the cumulative damage that pitching does to a hurler's arm, combined with a team front office's reluctance to see a pitcher in whom they have invested considerable financial capital in the form of a big contract getting hurt. Another factor, arguably, is the greater reliance of managers and pitching coaches on sabermetrics—in this case, statistical data and analysis that generally show leaving a starter in longer leads to diminishing returns in terms of opposing batters allowed to reach base safely and score runs.[16] While even a few decades ago, a starting pitcher was expected to go out and attempt to pitch a complete game, with the manager going to his bullpen only if the starter ran into trouble or was injured or visibly tiring, the present-day norm is the starter is expected to give his manager six, or perhaps seven "quality innings," at which point the manager—who, along with the pitching coach, has been tracking the starter's pitch count—will normally lift him and bring in one or more middle-relief specialists to pitch the next several innings and form a bridge to the team's closer.[17] There are exceptions—a manager will leave a starter in who is working on a no-hitter or, sometimes, a shutout, or will let a starter continue if he is pitching particularly strongly and has not run up a high pitch count. But managerial caution is now a more dominant mode, particularly if a pitcher is coming off a recent injury or has had Tommy John surgery or any other major procedure done on his pitching arm.
Most complete games in a season – 75[edit]
All-time record of 75 set by Will White in 1879; modern-era record of 48 set by Jack Chesbro in 1904. Sports Illustrated has said about this record, "Even if the bar is lowered to begin with the live-ball era (which began in 1920), the mark would still be untouchable." The most complete games recorded in a live-ball season is 33, achieved three times in all—twice at the dawn of that era by Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1920 and Burleigh Grimes in 1923, and also by Dizzy Trout in 1944, a season in which the player pool was severely depleted by World War II call-ups. According to SI, modern starters can expect to start about 34 games in a season.[13]
Most consecutive complete games (since 1900) – 39; Most consecutive games without being relieved – 202[edit]
Both records were set by Jack Taylor, who pitched 202 consecutive games without being relieved from June 20, 1901 through August 13, 1906. The streak includes a total of 187 career starts (all complete games) and 15 relief appearances. The streak of 39 consecutive complete games (uninterrupted by a relief appearance) is a subset of the longer streak, lasting from April 15 through October 6, 1904.
Most career shutouts – 110[edit]
Walter Johnson has the most career shutouts, a record nobody is likely to break.[18]
Set by Walter Johnson, 1907–27.[18] Highlights include: eleven 6-shutout seasons and leading the league in shutouts 7 times.[19] The next closest player is Grover Cleveland Alexander, who has 20 fewer shutouts at 90. As is the case for career wins and complete games, Warren Spahn holds the record among pitchers whose entire careers were in the live-ball era, with 63.
For a player to tie Johnson's record, he would have to pitch 5 shutouts every season for 22 years.[18] Between 2000 and 2009 the Major League leader in shutouts finished each year with an average of 4, and adding the MLB-leading shutout totals for each season from 1991 through 2017 results in a total of 108, still short of Johnson's record.[20] The closest active player is Clayton Kershaw with 15.[21]
Most consecutive no-hitters – 2[edit]
Set by Johnny Vander Meer on June 11 and 15, 1938.[1] Despite holding this record, he finished his career with a 119–121 win–loss record.[1] The prospect of a pitcher breaking this record by hurling three consecutive no-hitters is so unimaginable that LIFE described this as "the most unbreakable of all baseball records."[1] Ewell Blackwell came the closest to matching Vander Meer after following up a no-hitter with eight no-hit innings in 1947.[22] In 1988, Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays had consecutive no-hitters going with two outs in the ninth; both were broken up by singles.[23] Between 2000 and 2009, 20 no-hitters were pitched, and the closest anyone came in the 21st century is Max Scherzer, who in 2015 threw a one-hitter and no-hitter in consecutive starts, respectively losing out on perfect games in the seventh inning and on the 27th batter.[24][25][26]
Nolan Ryan holds records in career no-hitters, strikeouts and bases on balls. Given the fact that he pitched a record 27 years in MLB, all three records are regarded by many sportswriters as unlikely to ever be surpassed.[3][27][28]
Most career no-hitters – 7[edit]
Set by Nolan Ryan, 1966–93. Sandy Koufax is second with 4 no-hitters.[3] No other pitcher has tossed more than three no hitters.[3] Between 2000 and 2009 there were 20 no-hitters.[25] Only 32 pitchers have thrown 2 or more no-hitters, and of the 18 active pitchers that have thrown a no-hitter, only six have pitched more than one (Homer Bailey, Mark Buehrle, Tim Lincecum, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Jake Arrieta have each pitched two no-hitters).[25] After Ryan and Koufax, just Larry Corcoran, Cy Young, and Bob Feller have thrown 3 no hitters.
Most career strikeouts – 5,714[edit]
Set by Nolan Ryan, 1966–93.[28] Highlights include: six 300-strikeout seasons, fifteen 200-strikeout seasons, and leading the league in strikeouts 11 times.[29] To accomplish this record, Ryan played the most seasons (27) in MLB history.[6][27]
The next closest player is Randy Johnson, who has 839 fewer strikeouts at 4,875.[6] Johnson also had four consecutive 300-strikeout seasons at the turn of the 21st century (1999–2002);[3] the only pitchers with a 300-strikeout season after 2002 are Clayton Kershaw, who had 301 in 2015, and Chris Sale, with 308 in 2017.[30] For a player to approach this record, he would have to average 225 strikeouts over 25 seasons just to get to 5,625. Averaging 250 strikeouts over 23 seasons would enable him to surpass the record with 5,750. Between 2000 and 2009 the Major League leader in strikeouts finished each year with an average of 287, and even that average is skewed with large strikeout seasons by Randy Johnson and Pedro Martínez early in the decade. No pitcher exceeded 280 strikeouts between 2005 and 2014, and the only pitchers to have done so since then are Kershaw in 2015, Scherzer in 2016 (with 284), and Sale in 2017.[30] The closest active player is Sabathia, with 2,846 strikeouts.[31]
Most career bases on balls – 2,795[edit]
Set by Nolan Ryan, 1966–93. Ryan ended up with 50 percent more bases on balls than any other pitcher in history.[28] The next closest is Steve Carlton with 1,833. The only active player with even 1,000 career walks is Sabathia, who ended the 2017 season with 1,009.[32]
Most career saves – 652[edit]
Set by Mariano Rivera, 1995–2013.[33] Highlights include 15 consecutive seasons with 25 or more saves,[34] 9 consecutive seasons with 30 or more saves and 15 seasons with 30 or more saves (all three are records). After Trevor Hoffman, who retired with 601 career saves, the next-closest pitcher in saves is Lee Smith, with 478.[35][36]
For a player to reach Rivera's record, he would have to earn an average of 35 saves for 17 consecutive seasons just to get to 595 saves[37] or 40 saves for 16 consecutive years to reach 640.[38] As of the end of the 2017 season, the closest active player is 36-year-old Francisco Rodríguez with 437 saves, leaving him 215 behind Rivera.[39][40]
Most innings pitched in a season – 680[edit]
Set by Will White in the same 1879 season in which he set the record of 75 complete games noted above (at this time the distance from mound to plate was 45 feet). The record pitching from the distance used since 1893 (60 feet 6 inches) is 482 innings that first year by Amos Rusie, which had been exceeded 85 times by pitchers working from 45 or (starting in 1881) 50 feet, including by Rusie himself the three previous consecutive seasons, but has never been approached since (Ed Walsh in 1908 was the last to pitch 400 innings in a season).
Most career wild pitches thrown – 343[edit]
Set by Tony Mullane whose career spanned from 1881 to 1894. Mullane pitched through a staggering 4531.1 innings (24 all-time) throwing a total of 343 wild pitches and averaged an errant pitch in 7.56% of those innings. Nolan Ryan is second on the list of most wild pitches with 277. The active leader in wild pitches is Félix Hernández with 140, just 40% of Mullane. With modern pitchers throwing fewer innings as well as wild pitches this record is safely unbreakable.
Hitting records[edit]
Pete Rose's record of 4,256 hits is considered unsurpassable.[41]
Most career hits – 4,256[edit]
Set by Pete Rose, 1963–86.[41] With the retirement of Derek Jeter at the end of the 2014 season with 3,465 hits, and the retirement at the end of the 2016 season of Alex Rodriguez with 3,115 hits[42], no active major league player is at this time considered to be close to breaking Rose's mark. To get within 6 hits of tying Rose, a player would have to collect 250 hits over 17 consecutive seasons,[43] or more than 200 hits over the course of 21 seasons. In the past 81 years, only Ichiro Suzuki has topped 250 hits in a season (with 262 hits in 2004).[43] As of the end of the 2017 season, Ichiro has 3,080 MLB hits[42] and 1,278 hits in the Japanese major leagues[44] for a combined, unofficial total of 4,358, 102 more than Rose's record; however, Ichiro's hits from Japan's major leagues are not counted toward his MLB total. At the same time, Miguel Cabrera (35 years old) has 2,636 hits after 15 seasons; he would have to average slightly above 180 hits over 9 additional seasons to break the record.
Most consecutive seasons with 200 hits – 10[edit]
Set by Ichiro Suzuki, who attained this from 2001–10.[45][46][47] Ichiro's honors since joining the Seattle Mariners from Nippon Professional Baseball at age 27 include winning the 2001 AL Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, claiming the AL batting title in 2001 and 2004, leading the AL in hits in seven seasons (2001, 2004, 2006–10)[46] and breaking George Sisler's 84-year-old single-season hits record in 2004 with 262 hits.[48] The closest player is Willie Keeler who had 8 consecutive seasons with 200 hits that occurred almost a century prior in the dead-ball era.[49] Only José Altuve, with four consecutive 200-hit seasons, entered the 2018 season with a current streak of even two such seasons.[50]
Most career triples – 309[edit]
Set by Sam Crawford, 1899–1916. Highlights include: five 20-triple seasons and sixteen 10-triple seasons.[51] The next closest player is Ty Cobb, who has 14 fewer triples at 295. Because of changes in playing styles and conditions that began around 1920 and have continued into the present from the dead-ball era to the live-ball era, the number of triples hit has declined noticeably since then. Among hitters whose entire careers were in the live-ball era, the leader in career triples is Stan Musial, with 177.
For a player to threaten Crawford's record, he would have to average 15 triples over 20 seasons just to get to 300. Between 2000 and 2009 the Major League leader in triples finished each year with an average of 17. The closest active player is José Reyes, with 128.[52]
Most triples in a season – 36[edit]
Set by Chief Wilson in 1912.[53][54] Only two other players have ever had 30 triples in a season (Dave Orr with 31 in 1886 and Heinie Reitz with 31 in 1894),[54] while the closest anyone has come in the century since Wilson set the record is 26, shared by Sam Crawford (1914) and Kiki Cuyler (1925).[54] Only six hitters have had 20 triples in the last 50 years: George Brett (20 in 1979), Willie Wilson (21 in 1985), Lance Johnson (21 in 1996), Cristian Guzmán (20 in 2000), Curtis Granderson (23 in 2007) and Jimmy Rollins (20 in 2007).
Most home runs in a game – 4[edit]
In all, 18 players have hit four home runs in a game. On first glance, the record might appear possible, though unlikely, to break. However, in a 2018 story, Sam Miller of ESPN argued that hitting five homers in a game "is outlandishly unlikely." First, according to Miller, a five-homer game would require not only that a player get five plate appearances in a game, but that he receive hittable pitches in each appearance. Only two players have ever made a plate appearance that could have resulted in his fifth homer of a game—Lou Gehrig in 1932 and Mike Cameron in 2002, each making two plate appearances in a game after having hit four homers. Additionally, no player has ever homered in five consecutive at-bats, even in multiple games. Miller summed up what he viewed as the impossibility of a five-homer game with the following:[55]
That means a five-homer game would likely have to involve somebody doing something totally unprecedented, and fitting it within the narrow confines of a single game, with no margin for error or an intentional walk.
Lou Gehrig came close to doing so in 1932, when after hitting four homers he hit a deep fly to center, but center fielder Al Simmons made a diving catch.[56]
Most grand slams in a single inning – 2[edit]
Set by Fernando Tatís in 1999.[57] Only twelve other players have ever hit two grand slams in a single game.[58] However, breaking the record would require a player to hit three grand slams in a single inning. Breaking this record would also tie the major league record for RBI in a single game (12). Over 50 players have hit two home runs in a single inning,[59] but no MLB player has so much as hit three home runs in one inning. However, one minor league player, Gene Rye, has achieved the feat of hitting three home runs in a single inning.[60]
Ty Cobb's career batting average of .367 is viewed as unbreakable.[61]
Highest career batting average – .367[edit]
Set by Ty Cobb in 1928 after beginning his career in 1905.[61] Highlights of this record include; three .400 seasons, nine .380 seasons, and leading the league 11 times in batting average.[62] Cobb managed to hit .323 in his final season at age 41.[6] The next closest player is Rogers Hornsby who had a batting average of .358; Hornsby's career straddled the dead-ball and live-ball eras, with most of it being in the live-ball era. There are only 3 players with a career average over .350, and the highest batting average among those who played their entire careers in the live-ball era is Ted Williams' .344. Since 1928, there have been only 46 seasons in which a hitter reached .366 and only Tony Gwynn attained that mark at least four times, finishing with a career .338 batting average.[63] The active player with the highest batting average is Miguel Cabrera at .317, fractionally above José Altuve.[64]
Highest single-season batting average – .440[edit]
Set by Hugh Duffy in 1894, the highest single-season average in National League, and MLB history. Nap Lajoie's .426 in 1901 is the highest in American League history. In the modern (post-"dead-ball") era, Rogers Hornsby hit .424 in 1924, a feat unmatched since then. George Sisler's .420 average in 1922 still stands as the highest American League average of the modern era. Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941, the last player in either league to top .400 for a season. Since then, only George Brett, who hit .390 in 1980, and Tony Gwynn, who hit .394 in a strike-shortened season in 1994, have even come close to breaking .400, and they were nowhere near any of the historical league or MLB highs.
In another 2018 ESPN story, the aforementioned Sam Miller argued that it was impossible to hit .400, or even seriously challenge the mark, in the modern game, noting that no hitter in the 21st century entered the second half of the season with an average above .380, and no batter since 2009 who qualified for his league's batting title had a .400 average at any point after May 25. Additionally, Miller argued that a player who might conceivably challenge .400 would have to combine a low strikeout rate, high home run rate, and high batting average on balls in play—a group of skills which largely do not complement one another.[65]
Most RBI’s in a single season – 191[edit]
Set by Hack Wilson, who batted in 191 runs in 1930. Only Hank Greenberg and Lou Gehrig, at 183 and 184, ever came close and there have been no real challenges to the record for over 75 years.
Highest career on-base percentage – .482[edit]
Set by Ted Williams from 1939 to 1960.[66] Williams, the last man to hit .400 in a MLB season (.406 in 1941), won six American League batting titles, two Triple Crowns, and two MVP awards. He ended his career with 521 home runs and a .344 career batting average. Williams achieved these numbers and honors despite missing nearly five full seasons to military service and injuries.[67] The next-closest player in career OBP is Babe Ruth at .474.[68]
Since Williams' retirement, only four players have posted an OBP above .482 in a season, with Barry Bonds the only one to do so more than once.[66][69] Bonds ended his career with an OBP of .444; the leader among active players is Joey Votto, at .428 after the 2017 season.[68]
Longest hitting streak – 56 games[edit]
"With pitching the way it is—specialty guys, closer and setup guys—you’re not going to have a chance to get four at-bats against one guy. On one night, you might face four different guys. I'm still amazed DiMaggio got to 56. I’m amazed now when somebody gets to 30."
— Robin Ventura, who set the NCAA Division I record of hitting in 58 consecutive games[70]
Set by Joe DiMaggio, 1941.[2] Highlights include a .404 batting average and 91 hits.[71] DiMaggio's achievement is such a statistical aberration in its unlikelihood that sabermetrician Stephen Jay Gould called it "the most extraordinary thing that ever happened in American sports".[72] The next closest player is Willie Keeler, who had a hitting streak of 11 fewer games at 45 over 2 seasons.[73] There have been only six 40-game hitting streaks, the most recent one occurring in 1978, when Pete Rose hit in 44 straight games.[73] This also marked the only time since 1941 that a player has reached a 40-game hitting streak.[74] Since 1900, no player other than DiMaggio has ever hit safely in 55 of 56 games and no active players (as of 2011) have their two longest career hit streaks even add up to 56 games.[75] The improbability of DiMaggio's hit streak ever being broken has been attributed to the increased use of the bullpen and specialist relievers.[76] On July 17, 1941, pitchers Al Smith and Jim Bagby of the Cleveland Indians held him hitless. Two hard hit shots came close, but great defensive stops by third baseman Ken Keltner ended the streak.[77]
Most career home runs by an American League pitcher – 37[edit]
Set by Wes Ferrell, who hit 37 home runs while playing for the Indians, Red Sox, Senators and Yankees during the late 1920s and most of the 1930s (Ferrell hit one more HR while with the Braves in 1941, bringing his total to 38 – 37 as a pitcher and one as a pinch-hitter – the most for any MLB pitcher). With a total of 326 hits in 1,176 at-bats in his 17-year career, almost all of which occurred while he played in the AL, Ferrell hit .280 and had 208 RBIs, [78], and is considered one of baseball's best-hitting pitchers. Other American League pitchers with notable home-run totals include Bob Lemon, who hit 35 HR as a pitcher and two more as a pinch hitter during his 18-year career all spent with the Indians, Red Ruffing, who smacked 34 home runs as a pitcher and two more as pinch-hitter over 22 seasons with the Red Sox, Yankees and White Sox, and Earl Wilson, who hit out 35 home runs in an 11-year career – 33 as a pitcher and two others as a pinch-hitter – all but one of them while with the Red Sox and Tigers, and the last as a Padre.[79] With "good-hitting pitchers" the exception rather than the rule, the American League's adoption of the designated hitter rule in 1973 – leading to the widespread substitution of the DH in the pitcher's traditional #9 slot in the batting order in all AL games and all interleague, All-Star and World Series games played in AL parks – means that no American League pitcher will ever get enough at-bats to seriously challenge any of the above home run statistics, or any other game, seasonal or career hitting marks set by AL pitchers historically. However, the Los Angeles Angels' signing of Japanese player Shohei Ohtani - who notably plays as both a starting pitcher and a designated hitter - could mean that Ferrell's record may, in fact, be broken in Ohtani's career (although Ohtani generally does not hit and pitch in the same game when playing in AL parks, so his home runs as a DH may not be considered as being hit "by a pitcher").
Most career sacrifice bunts – 512[edit]
Set by Eddie Collins, who successfully laid down 512 sacrifice bunts over his 25-year career with the Philadelphia Athletics. Joe Pasternak dubbed Collins as "the smartest player in baseball history". Not only was Collins a prolific bunter, but also 10th all-time in WAR and hit .333 for his career with 3,000 hits and over 700 stolen bases.[80] Second behind him is Jake Daubert with 392, more than 100 fewer than Collins. Since the turn of the 20th century, sacrifice bunts have continually fallen further out of favor: Moneyball by Michael Lewis, the famous sabermetrician's manifesto, went as far as to label the bunt as "evil". Modern baseball teams value minimizing outs rather than moving a baserunner over a single base position.
Other records[edit]
Most consecutive games played – 2,632[edit]
Set by Cal Ripken Jr., 1982–98.[81] The next closest player is Lou Gehrig, who had a consecutive games streak of 502 fewer games at 2,130.[24][76][81] Third on the all-time list is Everett Scott, whose streak of 1,307 consecutive games is less than half of Ripken's total.[76] Only seven players have ever played more than 1,000 consecutive games.[76] For a player to approach the milestone, he would have to play all 162 games in a season for 16 years just to get to 2,592 games.
As stated by LIFE, "no one else has ever come close, and no one ever will."[81] It is important to note, however, that before Gehrig's record was broken by Ripken in 1995, it was Gehrig's record that was considered unbreakable. In his 1988 edition of "The Baseball Abstract", author Bill James stated (page 203) that "...Gehrig's record is vulnerable precisely because human characteristics such as determination and the ability to play with pain can be applied to breaking it... I expect Gehrig's (2,130) record to be broken in my lifetime". At that time, Ripken was more than seven years away from the record.[82]
Most career stolen bases – 1,406[edit]
Set by Rickey Henderson, 1979–2003.[24][83] Highlights include: three 100-stolen-base seasons,[43] thirteen 50-stolen-base seasons, and leading the league in stolen bases 12 times.[84] The next closest player is Lou Brock, who has 468 fewer stolen bases at 938. According to LIFE, the stolen base record is probably unbreakable, as it is hard to imagine a player today "even attempt so many steals."[83] For a player to approach Henderson's milestone, he would have to average 70 stolen bases over 20 seasons just to get to 1,400.[43] Between 2000 and 2009, the Major League leader in stolen bases finished each year with an average of 64. The closest active player is José Reyes with 512 stolen bases.[43][85]
Most All-Star Games played – 25[edit]
Set by Hank Aaron, 1954–76. Aaron was an All-Star in all but two of the 23 seasons he played in the major leagues (his debut year in 1954 and last season in 1976). His record total was assisted by MLB's decision to hold two All-Star Games every year from 1959 to 1962;[86] Aaron played in all eight All-Star Games during that period. The only players whose careers began after 1976 to play in 25 MLB seasons were Rickey Henderson, who appeared on 10 Midsummer Classic rosters,[86] and Jamie Moyer, who appeared in one All-Star Game.[87] The active player with the most All-Star Game selections is Miguel Cabrera, who has been on 11 All-Star Game rosters after 15 seasons.[88]
Most wins, losses and games managed – 3,731, 3,948 and 7,755[edit]
Set by Connie Mack, who retired in 1950.[89] Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 years until the age of 87, partly aided by the fact that he owned the team as well.[89] The closest manager to Mack in games managed and losses is Tony La Russa (with 5,097 and 2,365, respectively). John McGraw is second in wins with 2,763.[90] Following the departure of Dusty Baker (age 69) after the Washington Nationals' elimination from the 2017 postseason[91] with 1,863 wins (14th all-time), the closest active manager in wins, losses and games managed is Bruce Bochy (age 63) with 1,853 wins (15th), 1,855 losses (8th), and 3,707 games managed (11th).[90]
Most road losses, season[edit]
The 1899 Cleveland Spiders currently hold the MLB record for the most road losses in a single season, with 101. This record is unusual compared to others on this list in that while most others are theoretically possible (but impractical) to break, this record of most road losses mathematically cannot be broken even if a team achieved a completely winless road record: scheduling has since been standardized so that each team is scheduled to play 162 games (i.e. 81 games home and away, 21 games fewer than necessary to break the record).
While Rainouts and other cancellations can reduce these numbers, a team can play more than 81 designated road games in a season if it has to play in a one-game playoff (counted in the rules as a regular season game) to determine whether it advances to the postseason, or a series of such one-game playoffs in the as-yet unencountered scenario of more than two teams being tied (under the most likely scenario, only one such road loss can be added since that loss would immediately end the season, still leaving the team 20 losses short. If a team were tied for both the division title and the second wild card berth, and the current performance-based criteria made them the road team for both tiebreakers, it could theoretically lose two one-game playoffs on the road, leaving them 19 losses short. In any event, the mathematical requirements of qualifying for a one-game playoff would make it virtually impossible for a team who had lost all of their road games to qualify).
Even in the rare circumstance that a game must be moved to the opposing venue, MLB policy now maintains the legal fiction that the designated home team does not change, regardless of venue, which ensures the designated home team does not lose rules advantages. This was not the case in 1899, when 35 of the Spiders' home games were changed to road games.
Three other factors contribute to the unique nature of the Spiders' record:
In 1899, owners were allowed to own more than one team, and in the case of the Spiders, the owners also owned the St. Louis Perfectos. Believing it more profitable to have a good team in St. Louis, the Spiders' best players from 1898 were given to the Perfectos in exchange for their least desirable players. MLB rules now prohibit a single owner owning more than one team, so this arrangement could not happen.
Baseball teams in 1899 were much more dependent on gate receipts for revenue. Realizing that fans in Cleveland were not going to pay to watch a decimated roster, the Spiders/Perfectos ownership transferred all of the Spiders' home games against the Perfectos to St. Louis. As the season wore on and the crowds in Cleveland shrunk in comparison to the mounting losses, prospective visitors began demanding the Spiders transfer home games to their parks as well since their cut of the gate receipts wouldn't enable them to recoup the expenses of the journey. The situation eventually became so bad that the Spiders' cut of the gate receipts for road games was actually more lucrative than their gate receipts for home games, so the Spiders' owners were not inclined to object to such requests. The Spiders only played eight home games after July 1, giving them the opportunity for 101 road losses (against 11 wins). Today, MLB revenue streams are far more numerous, travel expenses make up a smaller portion of a team's budget, and MLB rules state any team that refuses to travel to their opponent's stadium for a scheduled game would immediately forfeit the game.
Also, the 1899 Spiders played their entire 154 game schedule - an unusual occurrence in an era when cancellations were much more frequent, and cancelled games were often not made up.
The 1899 Spiders also hold the records for the most losses in a single MLB season (with 134) and lowest winning percentage (.130). These are technically possible to break, but even under a 162 game schedule only two teams have come within 15 losses of the record, these being the expansion 1962 New York Mets (40-120, .250 winning percentage) and the 2003 Detroit Tigers (43-119, .265 winning percentage). Since 1899, only five teams have recorded a winning percentage of less than .260 (i.e. at least double that of the 1899 Spiders), and the 1962 Mets are the only team to do so under a 162 game schedule. A team would need to lose 141 games over a 162 game season to record a .130 winning percentage (this yields a .129 winning percentage if the traditional rounding to three decimal places is ignored).
Unlike some other sports, the nature of baseball is such that a less talented team defeating a much more talented squad on any given day is not a particularly extraordinary occurrence.
Also, unlike what was the case in 1899, MLB clubs today employ vast minor league farm systems, and the sport has expanded in popularity far beyond the borders of the United States. The talent pool for the league as a whole and for each Major League club is therefore far richer and better developed than what was the case a century ago. Also, the introduction of interleague play means that all teams now play the majority of MLB clubs over the course of a season. Even if a team playing in the toughest division traded away its entire major league roster and/or allowed the players to leave through free agency, it would most likely still be able to call up players of sufficient talent as to be able to win the minimum 29 games necessary to avoid tying or breaking any of the Spiders' 1899 records.
World Series records[edit]
World Series records constitute a separate category from regular season records, but here too, structural changes in Major League Baseball over the years have rendered some of these records as most likely unbeatable. Expansion of the major leagues over the years, from the original 16 teams prevalent from 1901 through 1960 to the current 30 teams, and the subsequent division of both the American and National Leagues into two geographic divisions each in 1969 created a multi-tier postseason playoff schedule requiring a team to first win a league championship series in order to advance to the World Series. The subsequent re-division of each league into three geographic divisions in 1994 added a second initial playoff layer, the divisional series, to the mix; a team now had to first win the best-of-five divisional series in order to advance to the best-of-seven league championship series and then win that series to advance to the World Series, creating potential hurdles for any pennant-winning or World Championship team looking to go back to the Fall Classic the next season. An extra hurdle for some teams was added in the 2012 season with the advent of the wild-card playoff, in which the top two teams from each league that fail to win their divisions must play a single game for the right to advance to the divisional round. Additionally, the legally mandated demise in the 1970s of the reserve clause binding players to their original teams until traded, released or retirement and its replacement with free agency that allowed star players to sell their services to the highest bidder served to break up winning teams, with the loss of star players reducing those teams' chances for multiple World Series appearances.
Under the previous pre-divisional postseason, pre-free agency system, the New York Yankees were able to appear in 15 World Series in the 18 years between 1947 and 1964, winning 10 of them, including five straight World Championships from 1949–1953, and five consecutive World Series appearances between 1960 and 1964 (though only two World Series championships in that time), a record of success which has not been equaled since, either by the Yankees or anybody else. Since the introduction of free agency, only the 1998–2001 Yankees have managed to reach the World Series over four consecutive years, and only the 1972–1974 Oakland Athletics 1976-77 Cincinnati Reds and the 1998–2000 Yankees have been able to string together three consecutive World Championship years. The changes brought on by free agency are further illustrated by the 10 seasons between 1978 and 1987 which saw 10 different franchises win the World Series – a streak unprecedented in the sport's history.
The changes have also meant that individual players – while having greater freedom to go to teams that they perceive as possible winners and to be paid more money for doing so – are less likely to be able to play in enough World Series to be able to match or beat long-standing cumulative records, such as Whitey Ford's streak of 33 2⁄3 consecutive innings without allowing a run that the Yankee pitcher set between 1960 and 1962 (later retroactively reduced to 33 innings),[92] or Mickey Mantle's 18 World Series home runs that he hit between 1952 and 1964,[93] with both men breaking long-time records previously held by Babe Ruth.
Sportswriters and broadcasters, aware of the lessened chances of both teams and individual players being able to play in multiple World Series, have now popularized a new category of "postseason" statistics that frequently lump playoff and World Series records together – but given the disparity in the number of games played (a team winning a wild-card game, a five-game division series, a seven-game LCS and playing in a seven-game World Series will have played 20 postseason games in just one season, versus the maximum seven World Series games players could have participated in prior to the expanded playoffs), baseball purists believe comparing the playoffs-inflated "postseason" statistics of modern teams and players with the World Series-only postseason statistics from decades ago is like comparing apples to oranges.
Another World Series record unlikely to be broken is the attendance record, as discussed in the next section.
Attendance records[edit]
Several Major League Baseball attendance records cannot feasibly be broken in any currently-used MLB ballpark. Several of these were set by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the cavernous Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The all-time record of 115,301 was set there during a pre-season game on March 29, 2008 between the defending champions Boston Red Sox and Dodgers. The same facility also holds the attendance records for games played in the regular season (93,103) and postseason/World Series (92,706), with both of these marks set in 1959 before Dodger Stadium was completed.
The largest currently-used MLB ballpark is Dodger Stadium, with a listed capacity of 56,000. It is the only current ballpark that could theoretically break the MLB single season attendance record under the current schedule of 4,483,350 (55,350 per game), set by the Colorado Rockies in 1993 during their inaugural season at Mile High Stadium. The Rockies were on pace to break their record in the 1994 season before it was cut short by a strike, and moved to the 46,897-seat Coors Field the following year. The second largest MLB stadium is Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays and the first ballpark to record four million fans in a season, but which at a current listed capacity of 49,282 could not break the Rockies' record even under the most improbable one-game playoff scenarios.
The largest multi-purpose stadium in North America suitable for baseball is SDCCU Stadium, the former home of the San Diego Padres, with a listed capacity for baseball of 67,544. While fourteen U.S. stadiums have capacities of over 90,000 of which nine can hold over 100,000 spectators, nearly all were built specifically for football. A baseball field placed in any of these stadiums would have severe restrictions on its dimensions, and thousands of seats would likely need to be covered to form a suitable batter's eye.
Most modern MLB parks were built specifically for baseball, with only Rogers Centre and Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland having also been designed with football in mind. Modern MLB stadiums are designed to prioritize fan comfort and amenities over sheer capacity. Many existing parks have been renovated, in which seats have often been replaced with fewer, larger seats. Also, modern safety regulations in many jurisdictions restrict or prohibit once commonplace practices such as selling "standing room only" tickets.
Besides the Blue Jays (who drew four million fans in three consecutive years from 1991-93) and Rockies, the two New York teams are the only MLB clubs to have drawn four million fans in a season - the New York Yankees did so in four consecutive seasons from 2005-08 and the New York Mets did so in 2008. Both teams were still playing in their old stadiums and have since moved to new ballparks with slightly smaller capacities. The Dodgers have led MLB in attendance in every season since 2013, consistently averaging about 46,000 fans per game since that time.
References[edit]
Notes
^ Jump up to: a b c d "1. Johnny Vander Meer's Back-to-Back No-Nos – Unbreakable Baseball Records". LIFE.com. See Your World LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b c Moore, Terence (September 7, 2011). "Ripken's iron man record unbreakable". MLB.com. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Harkins, Bob (September 27, 2011). "Not all records are made to be broken". NBC Sports.com. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b "4. Cy Young's 511 Career Wins – Unbreakable Baseball Records". LIFE.com. See Your World LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b "Cy Young Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Martin, Dave (September 20, 2011). "Baseball's Unbreakable Records". The Epoch Times. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011.
Jump up ^ "511 wins – Cy Young – Unbreakable Baseball Records". SI.com. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Wins". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Active Leaders & Records for Wins". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Wins Records by Baseball Almanac". Retrieved March 30, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Year-by-Year Top-Tens Leaders & Records for Games Started". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Year-by-Year Top-Tens Leaders & Records for Wins". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b "48 complete games – Jack Chesbro (1904) – Unbreakable Baseball Records". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Career Leaders & Records for Games Started". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Active Leaders & Records for Complete Games". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Baseball Prospectus – Baseball Therapy: What Happened to the Complete Game?". Retrieved March 30, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Lost Art of the Complete Game". September 4, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c "13. Walter Johnson's 110 Career Shutouts – Unbreakable Baseball Records". LIFE.com. See Your World LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Walter Johnson Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Year-by-Year Top-Tens Leaders & Records for Shutouts". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Active Leaders & Records for Shutouts". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ McEntegart, Pete (July 23, 2006). "The 10 Spot". SI.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012.
Jump up ^ "The Fans Speak Out". Baseball Digest. Lakeside Publishing. 65 (5): 7. July 2006. ISSN 0005-609X. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
^ Jump up to: a b c Baseball's Most Unbreakable Feats (DVD). Major League Baseball Productions. 2007. ISBN 978-0-7389-3978-0.
^ Jump up to: a b c "MLB No-Hitters". ESPN.com. July 27, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Max Scherzer loses perfect game with HBP in 9th but completes no-hitter". ESPN.com. June 20, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b "5,714 career strikeouts – Nolan Ryan – Unbreakable Baseball Records". SI.com. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b c "15. Nolan Ryan's 5,714 Career Strikeouts – Unbreakable Baseball Records". LIFE.com. See Your World LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Nolan Ryan Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b "Year-by-Year Top-Tens Leaders & Records for Strikeouts". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Active Leaders & Records for Strikeouts". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Career Leaders & Records for Bases on Balls". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ Howard, Johnette (September 20, 2011). "Mo's mark, legend won't be matched". ESPN. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
Jump up ^ Fortuna, Matt (July 24, 2011). "Steady as anyone, Mo extends streak". MLB.com. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
Jump up ^ Gonzalez, Alden (July 19, 2011). "Mo on cusp of extending record streak". MLB.com. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
Jump up ^ Martinez, Michael (August 11, 2011). "Mo not happy, but shakes off latest rough outing". MLB.com. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
Jump up ^ Mooney, Patrick (September 18, 2011). "Cubs, Marmol: No one better than the great Rivera". CSN. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
Jump up ^ Matthews, Wallace (September 19, 2011). "Save No. 602 cements Mo as No. 1". ESPN. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
Jump up ^ Matuszewski, Erik (September 20, 2011). "Yankees' Mariano Rivera May Have Set Unbreakable Baseball Saves Record". Bloomberg. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Active Leaders & Records for Saves". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b "12. Pete Rose's 4,256 Career Hits – Unbreakable Baseball Records". LIFE.com. See Your World LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b "Active Leaders & Records for Hits". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Harkins, Bob (September 27, 2011). "Not all records are made to be broken". NBC Sports.com. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Ichiro Suzuki: Japanese Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
Jump up ^ "6. Ichiro Suzuki, 10 Straight 200-Hit Seasons – Unbreakable Baseball Records". LIFE.com. See Your World LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b "Ichiro Suzuki Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Hits Records by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
Jump up ^ "ichiro honored at Safeco". Seattle Mariners. April 22, 2005. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
Jump up ^ Baseball’s Top 100: The Game’s Greatest Records, p.46, Kerry Banks, 2010, Greystone Books, Vancouver, BC, ISBN 978-1-55365-507-7
Jump up ^ "Year-by-Year Top-Tens Leaders & Records for Hits". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Sam Crawford Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Active Leaders & Records for Triples". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ Fiore, Gary (June 28, 2011). "Jose Reyes on track to set record for most triples in a season". SILive.com. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Triples". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
Jump up ^ Miller, Sam (May 9, 2018). "Why a 21-K game is MLB's best record that can actually happen". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
Jump up ^ "Lou Gehrig hits four consecutive home runs". Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
Jump up ^ Long, Jack (April 30, 1999). "Tatis' grand slam record not likely to be broken". cnnsi.com. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Two Grand Slams in One Game". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Two Home Runs in One Inning". www.mlb.com. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Incredible Performances in Texas League History". www.milb.com. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "11. Ty Cobb's .367 Career Average – Unbreakable Baseball Records". LIFE.com. See Your World LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Ty Cobb Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
Jump up ^ ".366 lifetime batting average – Ty Cobb – Unbreakable Baseball Records". SI.com. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Active Leaders & Records for Batting Average". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ Miller, Sam (February 8, 2018). "Why no one will hit .400 ever again". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
^ Jump up to: a b ".482 lifetime on-base percentage – Ted Williams – Unbreakable Baseball Records". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Hall of Famers: Williams, Ted". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b "Career Leaders & Records for On-Base%". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Single-Season Leaders & Records for On-Base%". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
Jump up ^ Kepner, Tyler (April 17, 2011). "Ups and Downs of Two Top Picks". The New York Times. p. SP2. Archived from the original on April 28, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Joe DiMaggio Hitting Streak by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
Jump up ^ The Streak of Streaks, Stephen Jay Gould, New York Review of Books
^ Jump up to: a b "9. Joe DiMaggio's 56-Game Hitting Streak – Unbreakable Baseball Records". LIFE.com. See Your World LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010.
Jump up ^ "56 game hitting streak – Joe DiMaggio (1941) – Unbreakable Baseball Records". SI.com. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
Jump up ^ Stark, Jayson (May 15, 2011). "Baseball's unbreakable record". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Harkins, Bob (September 27, 2011). "Not all records are made to be broken". NBC Sports.com. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Does Ted Williams Own A More Impressive Streak Than Joe DiMaggio?".
Jump up ^ http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=ferrewe01
Jump up ^ http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=wilsoea01
Jump up ^ http://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/hisachit1.shtml
^ Jump up to: a b c "2. Cal Ripken, Jr.'s Consecutive-Games Streak – Unbreakable Baseball Records". LIFE.com. See Your World LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Cal Ripken's record breaking moment". Retrieved March 22, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b "17. Rickey Henderson's 1,406 Career Steals – Unbreakable Baseball Records". LIFE.com. See Your World LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Rickey Henderson Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Active Leaders & Records for Stolen Bases". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b "Most All-Star Games: 25 – Hank Aaron – Unbreakable Baseball Records". SI.com. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Jamie Moyer Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
Jump up ^ "Most Seasons on All-Star Roster". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b "3. Connie Mack's Wins, Losses, Games Managed – Unbreakable Baseball Records". LIFE.com. See Your World LLC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b "Managerial Register and Leaders". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Dusty Baker won't return as Nationals manager". ESPN.com. October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
Jump up ^ Coverdale, Miles, Jr. (2006). Whitey Ford: A Biography. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 155.
Jump up ^ "On what would have been his 80th birthday, Mickey Mantle's World Series home run record still stands". Retrieved March 30, 2017.
Bibliography
Kendrick, Scott. "Top 10 Most Unbreakable Baseball Records". About.com Baseball. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
Ingraham, Jim (August 20, 2009). "The top 10 most unbreakable baseball records". The Morning Journal. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
External links[edit]
Baseball portal
Marks That Will Never Be Broken by Baseball Almanac
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values: List of Major League Baseball career strikeouts by batters leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career games played leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career at-bat leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career plate appearance leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball players with a .400 batting average in a season

values: List of Major League Baseball single-season triples leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball progressive single-season home run leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle

values: List of Major League Baseball single-game grand slam leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball single-game runs batted in leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball single-inning runs batted in leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball hit records

values: List of Major League Baseball home run records

values: List of Major League Baseball doubles records

values: List of Major League Baseball triples records

values: List of Major League Baseball runs batted in records

values: List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball single-game runs scored leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball runs records

values: List of Major League Baseball stolen base records

values: List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career losses leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career games started leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career games finished leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career innings pitched leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career complete games leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career shutout leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career ERA leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career WHIP leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career bases on balls allowed leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career hit batsmen leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career wild pitches leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career batters faced leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual shutout leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

values: List of Major League Baseball perfect games

values: List of Major League Baseball single-game strikeout leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball single-inning strikeout leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball pitchers who have thrown an immaculate inning

values: List of Major League Baseball wins records

values: List of Major League Baseball career putouts leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a catcher leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a first baseman leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a second baseman leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a shortstop leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a third baseman leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career putouts as an outfielder leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a left fielder leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a center fielder leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a right fielder leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a pitcher leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career fielding errors leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career fielding errors as a catcher leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career fielding errors as a first baseman leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career fielding errors as a second baseman leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career fielding errors as a shortstop leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career fielding errors as a third baseman leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career fielding errors as an outfielder leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career fielding errors as a left fielder leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career assists leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball career passed balls leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual putouts leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball annual fielding errors leaders

values: List of Major League Baseball managers by wins

values: List of Major League Baseball longest winning streaks

values: List of Major League Baseball longest losing streaks

values: List of Major League Baseball individual streaks

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values: Lista de recordes da MLB considerados inquebráveis – Portuguese

values: 大聯盟可能無法被打破的紀錄 – Chinese

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