These 10 baseball records (and some related ones) will never be broken.
1. Most wins, lifetime, Cy Young, 511
Young’s record spanned the 1890s and baseball’s modern era. To break this record, a pitcher would need to win 25 games for 20 years...and even then, he comes up a dozen short. Next closest is Walter Johnson with 417 wins.
Some other pitching longevity records that seem certain to withstand the test of time: Jack Chesbro’s 41 wins for the New York Highlanders in 1904, Ed Walsh’s 464 innings pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 1908; Walter Johnson’s 110 shutouts and Nolan Ryan’s 5714 career strikeouts.
2. Most triples, lifetime, Sam Crawford, 309
The current leader in the majors, Johnny Damon, has 94 career triples...and is 35 years old. In fact, since Stan Musial retired in 1963 with 177 three-baggers, nobody has had more than Willie Wilson’s 147. The record for triples in a single season, Chief Wilson’s 36 for the Pirates in 1912, appears safe as well.
3. Highest batting average, lifetime, Ty Cobb, .366
Nobody has come within 25 points of Cobb since Ted Williams retired in 1960 with a .344 average. Among all active players, Albert Pujols is the leader at .334.
4. Most consecutive games played, Cal Ripken, 2632 games
They said Lou Gehrig’s record of 2130 games played would last for all time...that is until Cal Ripken came along. Don’t see any more Ripkens on the horizon.
5. Highest batting average, season, Rogers Hornsby, .424 in 1924
The Rajah’s record stands secure; the last player to hit. 400 in a season was Ted Williams in 1941.
6. Longest hitting streak, Joe DiMaggio, 56 games in 1941
Pete Rose came closest with his National League record 44-game streak in 1978.
7. Most grand slams, one inning, Fernando Tatis, 2 in 1999
Tatis is the only man in history to hit two salamis in the same inning. Add in the fact that he did it against the same pitcher, Chan Ho Park, and you’re got a record that will never be broken.
8. Most home runs, World Series, Mickey Mantle 18
This legendary leader list, topped by Mantle, includes Babe Ruth with 15, Yogi Berra with 12, Duke Snider with 11 and Lou Gehrig with 10. No active player is even close. Speaking of World Series records, Whitey Ford’s 10 wins and Yogi Berra’s 71 hits and 10 championships will be tough to match.
9. Most consecutive no-hitters, Johnny Vander Meer, 2 in 1938
One no-hitter is an extreme rarity, but only Vander Meer, a Cincinnati left-hander, ever threw two in a row. He beat the Braves at Cincy’s Crosley Field on June 11, 1938, and four days later no-hit the Dodgers in the first night game ever played at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field. Another record that should stand for all-time is Nolan Ryan’s career 7 no-hitters.
10. Toughest batter to strike out, Joe Sewell, 114 strikeouts in 7132 at-bats
A perennial .300 hitter over 14 seasons with the Yankees and Indians, Sewell’s career rate of one strikeout for nearly every 63 at-bats is by far the best in history. He struck out three times in 1932—in 503 at-bats over the course of the entire season.
Today’s players routinely strike out three times in a game and 114 times or more in a single season.
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