What do you consider to be baseball's unbreakable records?

Question

My own personal choices are both pitching records I don't think anyone will ever even come close to Cy Young's 511 career victories. Further, although it's more a feat than a record, there's no way Johnny Vander Meer's back-to-back no-hitters will be eclipsed. Maybe if the sun, the moon, and the stars all align just right, and the baseball Gods are smiling on some pitcher, it might be tied one day...but nobody will eer throw back-to-back-to-back no-hitters.

What are your thoughts?

Great answers so far! I totally agree about Barroid Bonds. His records should be deleted and his name stricken from Total Baseball.

Answer 1

1) 511 victories - pitchers just don't put in the innings to win this many
2) 75 World Series games played - I've always loved this one; Y. Berra holds this record - who can top this?
3) 36 triples (in a season) - that's a LOT of triples
4) .426 season avg - just don't think this is gonna happen
5) 56 game hitting streak - I remember Rose going after it and it seemed like it took forever - just to get 12 games short

Answer 2

With the landscape of how pitchers pitch, and are treated by teams, there are many pitching records that quite simply will never be broken. Its not a matter of older talent vs. new talent, its a philisophical change over the course of a century.

For example:

Nobody will ever break Cy Young's win mark of 511 - Ever.

Speaking of Cy Young - Nobody will ever approach is LOSS mark of 315.

Single Season Wins by a Pitcher is 60!!! Yes, 60 wins, by Old Hoss Radbourn. Not in a million more years will that even be approached.

Single Season Innings Pitched: 680.1
Single Season Complete Games: 75 <--- Pitchers don't even START half of that now, let alone finish.

All time pitching shut outs is 110 by Walter Johnson.. To give you perspective: The most shutouts by an active pitcher is Roger Clemens with a whopping 46.

You see where I'm going with this..? :o)

Answer 3

I think Cy Young's 511 wins, and I think any records involving pitcher's longevity (CG season, CG career etc.), and Ty Cobb's lifetime .367 batting average, also Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak will stand the test of time, and 21 K's per game, other pitcher's may match it, but I don't think it will ever be bettered. Johnny Vander Meer's 2 consecutive no-hitter's will be unbreakable, and so will Nolan Ryan's 7 career no-hitters. And a small side-not.....it never was entered into the record books because the game was ended before the seventh inning, but Lou Gehrig once hit 3 triples before the game was called, I defy anyone to repeat that...oh and Lou Gehrig's 23 career grand slams is safe too.

Answer 4

I agree with you on the pitching records, and I'll add a few.
1. 56 game hitting streak. Pete Rose came the closest, and he was still 11 games short.
2. 7 no-hitters
3. 383 strikeouts. I just don't think pitchers get enough starts or innings to reach that one.
4. 5714 strikeouts. Pitchers will not have the longevity to reach this mark.
5. 1406 career steals. Stealing bases is a lost art, and has been de-emphasised by the home run.
6. Youngest player ever. Joe Nuxhall was 15 when he played pro ball. Rule changes will make this THE unbreakable record.

Answer 5

I agree with you on both of your accounts of Cy Young's pitching records and Johnny Vander Meer because of the way pitchers are used today and hitters are using their ability as a science and the strike zone has changed or in some cases reinterpreted by different umpires. This does make the pitcher changed his way of pitching and it is usually less effective and thus more hittable. Another record I would throw out at you is that of Ty Cobb's lifetime average of .367 and Rogers Hornsby one year average of .424. I do not believe these records may be touched due to the tiredness of airline schedules and the mixture of day and night games are hard on the adjustments of the eye. You see Rogers Hornsby as long as he played never went to the cinema in his baseball career because he believed it dilated his eyes enough that he would be ineffective. Anyway there are more pitches or variations of pitches used that it makes it harder for the batter to break even .400.

Answer 6

Many people have picked the obvious ones already, like Cy Young's 511 wins, due to changes in the way the game is played today. I'll add one from the more recent past: I don't think Bill Fischer's 84 consecutive innings pitched without giving up a walk (1965) will ever be threatened, not with the increase in IBBs. With changes in the rules about tie games being suspended rather than replayed, Jose Pagan's 165 games played in one season (1962) is safe now, too.

Answer 7

How about Al Spalding in 1875 going 55-5 for Boston. With todays pitchers lucky to make 35 starts for a pitcher to start 63 games throw 52 complete games and win 55 in 1 year.

That records will never EVER even get threatened.

Answer 8

You forgot Dimaggio. 56 looks pretty unassailable. It's pretty hard to imagine any team matching the Yankee's five consecutive World Championships. Also the Baltimore Orioles had that season with the 4 twenty game winners - Palmer, McNally, Cuellar and Dobson if I remember correctly. You'd need the Moon, Stars, Sun and a few of the galaxies to align for that to happen again.

Answer 9

Cy Young's 511 wins
Nolan Ryan's 5,714 k's ( No pitcher will pitch that long )
Yankees 26 World Series titles ( Next is 9. A's and Cardinals )
Ty Cobb .366 lifetime average

Answer 10

I like two in particular..Cal's streak is one...Right now the
the active player in second has to play something like 8 yrs with out missing a game...come on...56 game hit streak...Some of the best hitters of the day have come close, but, with the quality of pitching and the jealouscy of the record it going to be hard..If your first two AB arent sucessful, you will be walked if you r close. Nobody wants to be the one to give up the 56 game streak.