Young, DiMaggio, Rose & Meer: MLB records that will never be broken

Sometimes, there are just some records that everyone has to accept that will never be broken.

Whilst the phrase “records are there to be broken” may pop into the mind of many, the way that sports have managed to evolve throughout history, it has become even more difficult for new success stories in terms of setting new bests and beating previous entries to occur.

Baseball is a prime example of a sport that has a number of different records that many will find extremely difficult to see broken considering the standard of the game now and the level to which it is played.

There have been a number of incredible feats to have been recorded in Major League Baseball (MLB), with some to have really caught the attention of many as it would seem near impossible to ever get close to it.

With the MLB regular season coming to an end and the National League being an extremely close-fought race, with three teams – LA Dodgers, MIL Brewers & SF Giants – all being provided with great odds of being crowned the league winner for those who use Unibet’s PA sports betting service, we thought we would take a look at the records that still hold today and will likely do so once this season and the many after it is completed.

Vander Meer’s back-to-back no-hitters

Perhaps one of the most astounding records to have ever been recorded in the MLB, Johnny Vander Meer’s back-to-back no-hitters is a record that is likely never to be bested.

Playing for the Cincinnati Reds, Vander Meer pitched his first no-hitter against the Boston Bees on June 11, 1938, before repeating the feat in his very next game against the Brooklyn Dodgers four days later at the very first game to have ever been played at the Ebbets Field venue.

In doing so, Vander Meer became the only player ever to achieve that feat and still is to this day. It is incredibly unlikely that a modern pitcher will be able to replicate this, as many will even struggle to throw perfect innings, let alone games.

DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak

One of the most famous records to have ever existed in MLB is the one that Joe DiMaggio managed to set back in 1941. Having played for the New York Yankees for his entire career, he went on a 56-game streak where he was able to get at least one base hit.

During this time, DiMaggio helped the Yankees to a record of 41-13-2 and is yet to have anyone come close to breaking his individual record. Pete Rose, who was playing for the Cincinnati Reds in 1978, got the closest, but he only managed to hit a total of 44.

Cy Young’s numerous records

When thinking of record holders that will likely never see their records be broken, Cy Young’s name has to immediately spring to mind.

Between 1890 and 1911, the pitcher managed to set the records for the most career wins (511) and the most career complete games (749). To put these records in perspective and into the modern era, it is truly mind blowing what he was able to achieve.

The 511 career wins would require players to average just over 25 wins in a career that lasts 20 seasons, in which only three players have ever managed 25 wins in one season, thus making his five 30-win seasons and 15 20-win seasons incredible. Walter Johnson is the only player that ever got close, but he only managed 417.

Rose’s most career MLB hits

Pete Rose may have attempted to get close to DiMaggio’s 56-game streak, but he did manage to get a record of his own that looks incredibly unlikely to ever be broken.

During his 24-year career, he managed to make 4,256 hits between 1963 and 1986. There is nobody who has ever been even remotely close to shattering that record and it does not seem it will happen any time soon, either.

Players who wish to do this would need to start fast, as they would need to collect 250 hits for 17 straight seasons or be able to achieve over 200 hits over the course of 21 seasons, but even then, the figure would still fall just short of what Rose had managed to achieve!