Unbreakable Records????

[waroriole]

Part of what makes baseball such a great game is the way we can compare stats of players today to players of the past. Now, this is an inexact science as the game has evolved over time, but it is still fun to look at. Here are, IMO, the most unbreakable baseball records. The percentages are just an estimation.

PITCHING

Wins - Cy Young -511

- This would take 25 years of 20 wins per year, and then 11 more wins.

- IMO, the type of pitcher who has the best chance to break this record is a guy with the greatest knuckleball we've ever seen. This pitcher would have to come into the big leagues very early. As an example he would have to pitch from age 21 until age 46.

- Odds of breaking the record- .000001%

Strikeouts - Nolan Ryan - 5,714

- This would take 19 years of 300 K's per year, plus 14 K's.

- This pitcher would have to be big, strong, durable and throw very hard. (Just like Ryan himself). He would have to have at least one other plus-plus pitch and have a desire to play a very long career. Basically, there would have to be another Nolan Ryan.

- Odds of breaking the record - 1-2%

Complete Games - Cy Young - 749

- This would take 25 years at 30 complete games per year.

- Nobody can do it, it's just impossible. Only 3 pitchers (Young, Ryan, & Don Sutton) have ever started more than 749 games.

- Odds of breaking the record - 0% (actually less than that).

Shutouts - Walter Johnson - 110

- 5 shutouts a year for 22 years.

- Sabathia had 5 shutouts tis year in a very dominant season. Sabathia, Dontrelle Willis, and A.J. Burnett are the only pitchers this century to record 5 shutouts in a season.

- Odds of breaking the record - .0001

BATTING

Hits - Pete Rose - 4,256

- 21 years at 200 hits per year, plus 56.

- If Ichiro had began his MLB career at age 20, he could have an outside shot. Unfortunately, he was 27 when he began playing and has only an outside chance at 3,000. This would take a hitter in Ichiro's mold (slap hitter who doesn't walk much) and there just aren't any now.

- Odds of breaking the record - 2-4%

Stolen Bases - Ricky Henderson - 1,406

- 20 years at 70 SB's per year, plus 6

- Only 2 players this century have had 70 SB's in a season (Jose Reyes & Scott Posednik). This would take another player like Ricky, and he is certainly one of a kind. It is possible that SB's become more important in this post-steroid era, but with the attention that Moneyball has got they are seen as more of a risk.

- Odds of breaking the record - < 1%

Career Batting Average - Ty Cobb - .366

- Entire career of .366 average.

- Only 4 players this century have had a batting average over .366 in one season (Ichiro, Barry Bonds, Todd Helton & Nomar) and nobody has done it more than once. Tony Gwynn, considered the best batting average hitter of my generation has a career average of .338, 28 points lower than Cobb. This would almost certainly take someone would could hit over .400 mulitple times; something that nobody has done in 67 years.

- Odds of breaking the record - < 1%

Consecutive Games Played - Cal Ripken Jr. - 2,632

- This would take playing 162 games a year for 16.25 years.

- A player would have to play every game from age 21 to age 37 without taking the day off. No injuries, no minor problems that keep you out of the lineup, no prolonged slumps that cause the manager to give you a day off. The more I think about this record the more impressive it is.:clap3:

- Odds of breaking - .001%

What is your most unbreakable record?

[scOtt]

Batting average in a season. I think the all-time record is .424, but don't quote me on that. I would say not even breaking this record is impossible, but a player actually hitting .400 is very unlikely. Still possible, but very unlikely.

You also have to say DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak.

[PaulBako]

Wins in a season: 41 - Jack Chesbro (1904)

[waroriole]

You also have to say DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak.

To me this is very possible. People have got into the 30's and 40's with hitting streaks. From there, you just need 15-20 games. Of course, the media scrutiny would be absurd, but I still think that is very possible. Not likely, but I say 10-15% chance of it being broken in my lifetime.

Wins in a season: 41 - Jack Chesbro (1904)

This won't happen, nobody even makes that many starts in a season anymore.

[scOtt]

And just thought, not only Cy Young's 511 wins, but his 316 losses as well.

[scOtt]

To me this is very possible. People have got into the 30's and 40's with hitting streaks. From there, you just need 15-20 games. Of course, the media scrutiny would be absurd, but I still think that is very possible. Not likely, but I say 10-15% chance of it being broken in my lifetime.

Maybe not impossible, but I think the %age chance is much less. Players have gotten (rather) close, but to go all the way, and the IMMENSE media pressure of today, make it seem very unlikely to me.

[Mark Carver]

And just thought, not only Cy Young's 511 wins, but his 316 losses as well.

Cy Young is THE record never to be broken pitcher...

Wins = 511

Losses = 316

Innings = 7354.2

Complete Games = 749

Games Started = 815

[waroriole]

Cy Young is THE record never to be broken pitcher...

Wins = 511

Losses = 316

Innings = 7354.2

Complete Games = 749

Games Started = 815

Yeah, it really isn't fair to include him in the records list. All of these will never be approached, just a different game now. Still, just think of the work his arm put out and it doesn't even seem possible.

[scOtt]

Yeah, it really isn't fair to include him in the records list. All of these will never be approached, just a different game now. Still, just think of the work his arm put out and it doesn't even seem possible.

Yeah really! It's why the greatest award in pitching is named after him. What he did is just hard to even fathom today.

[waroriole]

Yeah really! It's why the greatest award in pitching is named after him. What he did is just hard to even fathom today.

Have you ever seen a scouting report on him. I'm interested to know what kind of stuff he had. Did he throw hard, did he have breaking pitches, was he a control guy?

[SVOF]

73 home runs might be difficult to ever break without the juice.

[scOtt]

Have you ever seen a scouting report on him. I'm interested to know what kind of stuff he had. Did he throw hard, did he have breaking pitches, was he a control guy?

I really have no idea.

[Sports Guy]

Will White....680 IP....in a single season.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Have you ever seen a scouting report on him. I'm interested to know what kind of stuff he had. Did he throw hard, did he have breaking pitches, was he a control guy?

You're a baseball fan and you don't know the "Cy" is short for "Cyclone"?

That should tell you, right there.

[waroriole]

You're a baseball fan and you don't know the "Cy" is short for "Cyclone"?

That should tell you, right there.

Oh yeah I guess I should just turn my fan card in.