Mr. Maris had too many games in which to do it. Thus, the asterisk.
<ducking and running>
D’ohh! Misread the original post. :smack:
The amount of night games, the middle relievers and closers have also made the task a little tougher. But not impossible.
In 2004 Ichiro hit 272. He was 20 hits short of hitting 400. He had 262 and if he had 282 he would make it.20 hits,one more every 8 games. Not so far out of reach.
In 1980 Brett was 5 hits short.
The reliance on bullpen specialists means that a hitter, in this day and age, sees 100-200 fewer at-bats against a starter that he’s already seen 2-3 times that day. The adjustments necessary mid-game to a different pitcher/style make hitting .400 incredibly difficult imo. I don’t expeict to see it in the next 50 years.
(But as a Braves fan, I’m rooting for Chipper to do it. His propensity toward nagging injuries may help him, because if it is going to happen, then the batter is best served by having as few plate appearances as possible to qualify for the title. I think it’s easier to go 200 for 500 than to go 280 for 700.)