Baseball is a sport with a rich history filled with impressive achievements. Some of them are actually so impressive that it is hard to see them being repeated, considering the way the game has evolved and how it’s trending to look in the future. Continue reading to check out which baseball records will probably never be broken.
Most Career Strikeouts
Current Record: Nolan Ryan With 5,714
Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan played 27 years in Major League Baseball and finished his career with 5,714 strikeouts. It is not only hard to see someone match Ryan in playing on a high level for so long but also be able to get high strikeout numbers consistently, considering the rule changes and the ability of modern batters to adjust to different types of pitches. Ryan has 839 more strikeouts compared to second-placed Randy Johnson on the all-time list, while active strikeouts leader Max Scherzer only has 3,367.
Most Single-Season Hits
Current Record: Ichiro Suzuki With 262
Ichiro Suzuki is known as one of the best hitters that the game has ever seen. His best season came in 2004 when he managed to record a total of 262 hits. The reason why Ichiro’s record seems safe is that players are now rarely appearing at the plate as often as the Seattle Mariners did. He had 704 at-bats in 2004 and is only one of four players with more than 700 in a single season. Also, no player besides Ichiro has ever had more than 250 hits in a single campaign since 1930.
Consecutive Games Played
Current Record: Cal Ripken Jr. With 2,632
With all due respect to previous baseball eras, today’s game is played at a much higher pace and is more physically demanding. This is why Cal Ripken Jr’s record of 2,632 consecutive games played between 1982 and 1998 is as unbreakable as it gets. For starters, the previous record of 2,130, set by Lou Gehrig in 1939, stood for 56 years. Additionally, the longest streak since Ripken Jr. retired has been 1,152 consecutive games played by Miguel Tejada.