Certain baseball records hold an awe-inspiring quality, even if they are later broken. Today we're going to list 10 records that, at the time, were astounding in their significance and some that lasted an extraordinarily long time.
These 10 impress us, what other records do you think are more impressive?
10. Cal Ripken, Jr - Iron Man Streak
Image Source: https://www.si.com/
Ripken played in 2632 consecutive major league baseball games, having broken Lou Gehrig’s 56 year old record by 502 games. Many experts believed Gehrig’s record would never be broken. On the way, he piled up over 3000 hits, 19 All Star Game appearances and won 2 MVP titles.
9. Joe DiMaggio - 56 Game Hit Streak
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During his 1941 record setting hitting streak (56 consecutive games with at least 1 hit) Joltin’ Joe batted .408. An All Star every one of his 13 years in the major leagues, he was MVP 3 times and was number 5 on the all-time home run list when he (prematurely) retired at age 37.
8. Babe Ruth - 9 Shutouts One Season
Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/
Yes, this man is the same home run hitting legend you are thinking of. You may not realize he was probably the best left-handed pitcher in the American League in his era, going 94-46 with a career ERA of 2.46. His AL record of 9 shut outs in 1916 stands to this day, tied by Ron Guidry in 1978.
7. Babe Ruth - 54 Home Runs
Image Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/
In 1920 The Bambino hit a major league leading 54 home runs, the all-time record at that time. Why is this record more impressive than Barry Bonds’s 73 home runs in a season? Because in that year Ruth hit more home runs than 14 of the 16 major league teams. Another incredible fact is that the center field fence at the Polo Grounds (where the Yankees played that year) was 490 feet from home plate. For perspective, the average distance today is 405 feet.
6. Mark McGwire - 10.6 Home Run Frequency
Image Source: https://www.si.com
Over his career, including 6 years as a pitcher, Babe Ruth hit a record home run every 11.8 at bats, until broken by Mark McGwire with a frequency of one home run every 10.6 at bats. Nobody else is even in the ballpark.
5. Nolan Ryan - 5714 Career Strikeouts
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Ryan’s massive number of strikeouts leads the runner up, Randy Johnson, by 839. Ryan also has the all-time career lead in issuing bases on balls (walks), but we will ignore that one.
4. Roger Maris - 61 Home Runs
Image Source: https://www.si.com/
American League MVP in 1960 and 1961, he hit 61 homers in 1961 breaking Babe Ruth’s 34 year old single season home run record. Maris’s record stood for an even longer 37 years (until broken in 1998 by Mark McGwire). McGwire’s record only stood 3 years until broken by Barry Bonds with 73 homers in 2001. Bonds’s record is only 13 years old as of this date, so we have a long wait to see how long it will last.
3. Nolan Ryan - 7 No Hitters
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The Ryan Express has thrown 3 more of these gems than any other pitcher, or you could say 75% more than any other pitcher.
2. Rickey Henderson - Stolen Bases
Image Source: https://baseballhall.org
Henderson’s career total of 1406 compares to runner up Lou Brock’s 938. Few records approach that sort of domination.
1. Mickey Mantle, Home to First Base Time
Image Source: https://www.si.com
In 1951 young sensation Mickey Mantle was not just a power hitter, but also the fastest baseball player ever to go from Home Plate to First Base, taking only 3.1 seconds after a swing. The record has stood for 63 years and is mind boggling when you consider how many times the 100 yard/meter dash record has been broken during that span. Later that year Mantle suffered a freak injury to his knee that slowed him down.
These are our top choices for the best baseball records. Do you have any you prefer? Or do you think any current teams have a chance of breaking any? If so, you may want to place a bet on them or any other baseball games at
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