# MLB records that never will be broken. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 22, 2016, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553 "2016-09-22T01:06:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/21 "2016-09-23T13:28:57Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > His career record of 1,406 stolen bases also looks pretty much unbreakable - someone would have to average 70 steals a year over a 20-year career, and it’s pretty uncommon now for the major league leader to steal 70 bases. Basestealing goes in and out of style, though. In the 1940s and 1950s they didn’t steal bases much at all. In 1950, 77 was the National League leader in steals… \*\*for an entire team. \*\* In fact, in the 1950s, there was not a single National League team that stole 100 bases in a season. The AL had only one franchise break a hundred, the White Sox from 1957 to 1959, and then only barely. Then basestealing came back into style, and now it’s kind of back down again though not like it was in the 1950s. So it’s not impossible it could come back in a big way. You never know. Nothing about the way baseball is played makes it impossible to steal many bases. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/22 "2016-09-23T13:38:15Z")
Errors in a career and in a single season: Herman Long owns or shares both records (1096 career errors, 122 in a season). Better field conditions, better gloves, and an intolerance for poor defensive skills make these records unbreakable. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/23 "2016-09-23T13:55:27Z")
> [@Julius\_Henry](#): > > Here are a couple non-pitching records I don’t think will be challenged soon. > > Most home runs in a double-header is 5, held by both Stan Musial (May 2, 1954) and Nate Colbert (August 1, 1972). Main reason: the almost complete absence of the double-header. > > Ricky Henderson’s 130 stolen bases in 1982. Pitchers have learned to spend less time getting their pitches off, severely reducing the baserunners chances. It’s been 29 years since anyone (Vince Coleman in this case) stole more than 100 bases, with the most since then being 93 by Ricky Henderson and with the numbers trending downward ever since. One more tidbit about Hederson’s single season record is that he announced at the beginning of the season that he was attempting to break the record. This may seem strange but it allowed him to try for steals when the unwritten rules would have called for retaliation for stealing in that situation. Only an older pro would have the respect to do that. The point is that he had way more opportunities than normal in that season. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/24 "2016-09-23T14:09:09Z")
Henderson also had the advantage of playing for a team way out of contention, and so, really, there wasn’t any reason to tell him not to keep trying. A’s fans didn’t have a lot else to root for that year so Rickey just kept going. Why not? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/25 "2016-09-23T15:29:25Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak? I think that falls in the category of statistically unlikely, but theoretically not impossible. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/26 "2016-09-23T15:38:12Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak? > [@Colibri](#): > > I think that falls in the category of statistically unlikely, but theoretically not impossible. [By the numbers: Remembering Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak](http://www.espn.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/121488/by-the-numbers-remembering-joe-dimaggios-hitting-streak) > [@](#): > > 54: DiMaggio faced 54 pitchers during the streak. For comparison, Jackie Bradley Jr. faced 65 pitchers during his season-high 29-game streak this year. > > 16: DiMaggio started a 16-game hitting streak the game after the 56-game one ended. So he hit in 72 of 73 games total. In those 73 games, he had 120 hits, 20 home runs and **six strikeouts.** Whoa. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/27 "2016-09-23T15:41:54Z")
The unlikeliness of DiMaggio’s streak is well illustrated by the MLB contest, which has been running for years, where you get to try to beat his streak by picking any hitter you want every day. No one has ever beaten it - hundreds of thousands of people playing, and so the equivalent of thousands of “years” of hitters trying to break the streak, and it’s a system where people are continually selecting good hitters facing bad pitchers, and they still cannot break the record. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/28 "2016-09-23T15:46:46Z")
– The 1971 Orioles had four 20-game winners in a season: Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, and Pat Dobson. Given five game rotations now, I can’t see this happening again. –Back to back home runs by father and son. Griffey Sr and Griffey Jr. You need to have a father and son both in the major leagues, both on the same team, batting consecutively in the order, and both hitting a home run. Odds are long. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/29 "2016-09-23T18:32:39Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > –Back to back home runs by father and son. Griffey Sr and Griffey Jr. You need to have a father and son both in the major leagues, both on the same team, batting consecutively in the order, and both hitting a home run. Odds are long. That would merely be to tie the record (if “record” it is…). Having a hard time imaging what would constitute breaking it…kind of have to be consecutive home runs by grandfather, son/father, and grandson. Hmm… ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/30 "2016-09-23T18:36:29Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > That would merely be to tie the record (if “record” it is…). Having a hard time imaging what would constitute breaking it…kind of have to be consecutive home runs by grandfather, son/father, and grandson. Hmm… Father and twins go back to back to back. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/31 "2016-09-23T18:39:10Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > – The 1971 Orioles had four 20-game winners in a season: Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, and Pat Dobson. Given five game rotations now, I can’t see this happening again. Just to nitpick, that record is tied between the '71 Orioles and the 1920 White Sox (Red Faber, Eddie Cicotte, Lefty Williams, and Dickey Kerr.) Of course, the 1920 White Sox didn’t even win the pennant, and Cicotte and Williams were thrown out of baseball after the season. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/32 "2016-09-23T18:42:16Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Father and twins go back to back to back. They wouldn’t have to be twins, just siblings. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/33 "2016-09-23T19:01:53Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > They wouldn’t have to be twins, just siblings. _frantic attempt at a save_ I would expect that twins (other than those in Minnesota) that make the majors would be rarer than just siblings. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/34 "2016-09-23T19:14:06Z")
Unless they redefine what a ‘win’ is, Cy Young’s 511 wins will stand until the end of time. That’s about as unbreakable a record as I can think of. Some pretty low ERAs and high lifetime batting averages that will probably remain for a long time as well. I think someone, somewhere maybe in the next 50 years could somehow break Joe Dimaggio’s 56 game hit streak. But probably not in my lifetime. ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/35 "2016-09-23T21:07:58Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak? It’s lasted a long time, but it’s a statistical aberration, not an accomplishment. You could get a hit in 1,000 games in a row and have a .250 average. Records have been watered down a lot, and now statisticians can slap some sort of “superlative” on half the plays in a game, but the 56 game streak is the most overrated of the classic ones. Kudos to the OP for Tatis, people usually forget that one. And just for fun, I’ll throw in losing 4 Super Bowls in a row, even though it doesn’t belong. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/36 "2016-09-24T01:15:44Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Then basestealing came back into style, and now it’s kind of back down again though not like it was in the 1950s. So it’s not impossible it could come back in a big way. You never know. Nothing about the way baseball is played makes it impossible to steal many bases. I’m not sure this is completely true. Granted, nothing in the rules has changed to make stealing many bases impossible - BUT, faster pitching velocity, better athletes behind the plate, and a sabre-metric driven realization that the out hurts worse than the extra base in normal situations make it damn unlikely that stealing a bag will ever be anything other than a situational play. Situational plays with a specific quick runner on first makes it beyond hard to break Ricky’s record. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/37 "2016-09-24T02:11:58Z")
Lots of excellent posts, but here is the only one that, guaranteed, will never be broken: (spoilered in case anyone wants to guess) Lowest paid attendance for a MLB game: Zero. Orioles vs. White Sox, April 29, 2015. mmm ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/38 "2016-09-24T04:06:19Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Those are single game records. There are many single season and career records that probably won’t be touched due to changes in the way the game is played. > > Here are pitching records I thik will never be touched. > > Most wins season: 59 by Old Hoss Radbourn > Most wins career: 511 by Cy Young > Most losses season: 48 by John Coleman > Most losses Career: 316 by Cy Young > Lowest E.R.A. 0.86 by Tim Keefe (I suppose that one could be matched or beaten) > Most strikeouts: 513 by Matt Kilroy > Most shutouts season: 16 by Grover Alexander > Most Shutouts career: Walter Johnson 110 > > There are many others that likely will never be matched. There really should be a dividing line somewhere in the past the separates modern mlb records from earlier versions of the game. Tim Keefe set that ERA mark back when the pitching distance was 50 feet, batters called for high or low pitches, and foul balls didn’t count as strikes. I think it will be a long time before two players making their mlb debuts hit back to back homers, as happened this season with Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge. How often do two players have their first mlb at-bats back to back in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/39 "2016-09-24T05:57:33Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The unlikeliness of DiMaggio’s streak is well illustrated by the MLB contest, which has been running for years, where you get to try to beat his streak by picking any hitter you want every day. > > No one has ever beaten it - hundreds of thousands of people playing, and so the equivalent of thousands of “years” of hitters trying to break the streak, and it’s a system where people are continually selecting good hitters facing bad pitchers, and they still cannot break the record. Stephen Jay Gould, in 1985, wrote a letter to DiMaggio talking about the nature of his streak as a statistical anomaly. The letter is published in Gould’s great collection, _Triumph and Tragedy in Mudville_. Here is what he said: > [@](#): > > Dear Joe, > > My best wishes to you for a happy 1985. I hope you had a chance to see the NOVA show in which you so kindly participated. I have received so many favorable comments, with unanimous agreement that your appearance made the show. > > I mentioned to you in San Francisco that my colleague Ed Purcell, a Nobel Laureate and one of the world’s greatest physicists, had determined that your fifty-six-game hitting streak was, statistically, the most unusual and unexpected great event in the history of baseball. Ed recently sent me the enclosed note in which he derives the reason for his statement. The mathematical details need not be pursued, but the chart on the back of the second page will give you some idea of how remarkable and unpredictable your achievement was in statistical terms. > > The top row labeled _b_ represents lifetime batting averages of .400, .380, and .300. The first column labeled _n_ at the left indicates the number of games in a hitting streak—40, 50, and 60 in this example. The nine numbers in the chart itself give you the probability that a batter with a lifetime batting average of _b_ will have a hit streak of number of games _n_ over a career of one thousand games. Just consider the .0096 value for a .350 lifetime average, and a fifty-game hitting streak. This means that a lifetime .350 batter has only nine chances in a thousand to have a fifty-game hitting streak in a career of one thousand games. > > To make it more likely than unlikely that such a hitting streak would exist, the number in the chart must be great than .5—for a probability of greater than one-half. Thus, there would have to be fifty-two lifetime .350 hitters in order to make the probability of a fifty-game hit streak more than likely (.0086 times 52 equal the crucial value of one-half). I don’t have my encyclopedia handy, but I think that only three or four people actually have lifetime averages exceeding .350 (Cobb, Hornsby, perhaps Shoeless Joe Jackson). But your streak went for fifty-six games, a value that would only become more likely to happen than not to happen if baseball included more than one hundred lifetime .350 hitters. > > You asked me jokingly if this analysis meant that your record would never be broken. Even us pompous academics wouldn’t dare to make a statement like that. But Ed Purcell’s analysis does suggest that of all baseball records, your hit streak is surely the one least likely to be broken. > > Thanks again for you time and, especially, for your kindness to my son Ethan. > > Sincerely, > Steven Jay Gould ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553/40 "2016-09-24T07:53:13Z")
I don’t see anybody topping Ty Cobb’s record for career batting average of .367 for the forseeable future. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-records-that-never-will-be-broken/766553.md?page=3)