As the saying goes, records were made to be broken. However, in baseball, some records are so insane, so ridiculous, so monumental, that the odds of them ever being broken are slim to none. In short, they’re the most ridiculous baseball records of all time.
If you’re a professional baseball player who has a very long career and plays at a very high level throughout that entire career, then some recognition could be in store. You might be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a team might retire your number, or you might end up breaking a record or two. Baseball has been around for so long, and the game has changed so much over the years. Due to this certain records – like most strikeouts for a pitcher or most career hits – may stand for all time. Others – especially ones regarding home runs in this era of monstrous power hitters like Aaron Judge – might not stick around forever.
Many of the most ridiculous records in baseball were set by iconic players who had some of the greatest careers in history. They include legends such as Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, and Ty Cobb. Others were set in the 1800s and early 1900s. Known as the “dead-ball era,” this was a time period characterized by low-scoring games, few home runs, and cavernous ballparks. Pitchers usually pitched complete games, and baseball was simply weirder back then, with more potential for games, players, and careers that were one-of-a-kind.
Some of the most ridiculous records of all time were set over the course of decades-long careers; some took place over one monumental season; some in one completely bonkers game or inning. These records will more likely than not never be broken; some are towering achievements, and others are among the most embarrassing in baseball history.
Cal Ripken, Jr.: 2,632 Consecutive Games Played
Breaking Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 consecutive games played is one of the most monumental records in baseball history. Cal Ripken Jr. played through ankle injuries, a broken nose, and a twisted knee. In today’s era of just about every player spending some time on the Injured List every season, this is one record that most likely will never be broken.
Nolan Ryan: 5,714 Strikeouts
Nolan Ryan is one of baseball’s biggest record holders, with more seasons played than any other player since 1900 (27), the fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.56), and 7 no-hitters. Perhaps most impressive is his 5,714 strikeouts, a record that’s sure to never be broken.
Tony Mullane: 343 Wild Pitches
Tony Mullane threw 4,531 innings from 1881 to 1894. His 343 wild pitches meant that he averaged one in 7.56 of those innings.
Rickey Henderson: 1,406 Career Stolen Bases
Players aren’t stealing nearly as many bases as they did during Rickey Henderson’s heyday. Even if they did, it’s hard to imagine anyone even coming close to this record.
Hack Wilson: 191 RBIs in 1930
Any season a player can drive in 100 RBIs is considered to be a great one. So the fact that Hall of Famer Hack Wilson drove in nearly double that amount in 1930 is a majorly impressive feat. In fact, his season was one of the greatest by any player, ever. Wilson also hit 56 home runs (the NL record for 68 years) and had a .356 batting average that season.
Ichiro Suzuki: 262 Hits in 2004
In 2004, Ichiro Suzuki was one of just four players in history to have more than 700 at-bats in a season (with 704). He took good advantage of it, clocking an incredible 262 hits.
Pete Rose: 4,256 Career Hits
Over the course of an astonishing 24-season career, Pete Rose managed to average an incredible 662 plate appearances per season. He also rang up a truly amazing 4,256 career hits. It’s hard to imagine anyone else ever breaking that record.
Hank Aaron: 6,856 Career Total Bases
Hank Aaron did a lot more than hit a lot of home runs over the course of his career. He also managed to get a lot of extra-base hits, more than just about anyone else can even imagine.
Joe Sewell: Three Strikeouts in 1932
Some players strike out three times in one game; Joe Sewell struck out three times in the entire season of 1932. And it’s not like he only had a few at-bats: he has 576 plate appearances that season!
Joe DiMaggio: 56 Game Hitting Streak
A player is considered to be on a hot streak if they hit safely in six or seven games in a row, so it’s nearly inconceivable that a player can hit in 56 consecutive games, as Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio did in 1941. During this stretch, he batted .408 and clocked 91 total hits. His streak only ended when Indians third baseman Ken Keltner made a great diving play.
Jack Taylor: 39 Consecutive Complete Games
One hundred and twenty years ago, the concept of the relief pitcher didn’t exist, and pitchers were expected to pitch complete games, no matter how many pitchers it took. Relief appearances were relatively rare. From April 15 through October 6, 1904, Jack Taylor pitched an incredible 39 consecutive complete games, uninterrupted by a relief appearance.
Chief Wilson: 36 Triples in a Season
While not quite as uncommon as inside-the-park home runs, triples are relatively rare in baseball. Most players choose to settle for a double rather than risk being thrown out at third. Additionally, not many batted balls are rolling around in the outfield long enough to give the runner a chance to make it all the way to third.
So a handful of triples is usually pretty good in any given season; 36 is just ridiculous. That’s the amount hit by Chief Wilson in 1912. Perhaps the fact that he was playing in Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, which in that season had a 460-foot center-field distance, helps to explain this phenomenon.
Leon Cadore and Joe Oeschger: 26 Innings Pitched in a Single Game
On May 1, 1920, a game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves lasted a maddening 26 innings, only being called due to darkness and ending in a 1-1 tie. Amazingly, each team only used one pitcher for the entire game.
Herman Long: 1,096 Career Errors
Playing from 1889 to 1904, Herman Long racked up an astonishing 1,096 career errors during that time. For comparison’s sake, Elvis Andrus is currently the active player with the most errors, at 231 as of 2023. This isn’t just because he was clumsy in the field; equipment such as primitive gloves and scratched or dented baseballs made it much more difficult to cleanly field a ball back in the sport’s early days.
Fernando Tatís: Two Grand Slams in an Inning
Thirteen players have hit two grand slams in a game, but only one – Fernando Tatís – has hit two in a single inning, in 1999.
High Duffy: .440 Single-Season Batting Average
It’s essentially impossible to have a batting average above .400 nowadays, so it’s truly a remarkable achievement for Hugh Duffy to have .440 in 1894. The last player to top .400 in a season was Ted Williams, who hit .406 in 1941.
Barry Bonds: 232 Walks in 2004
Barry Bonds was a walk machine in 2004. Nobody wanted to pitch to him. Out of his astonishing 232 walks that year, 120 were intentional.
Ty Cobb: 54 Steals of Home
Any time a player steals home it’s considered a pretty major feat; it just isn’t really done anymore. The fact that Ty Cobb did it 54 times over the course of his career was very impressive. Nowadays that feat seems downright unattainable now.
Worcester Worcesters: Lowest Attendance in a Game
This one is a classic and makes us feel really bad for the (fantastically named) Worcester Worcesters. On September 28, 1882, in a game against the Troy Trojans at the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds in Massachusetts, only a paltry six people showed up. Worcester was dead last in the league, and both teams were axed entirely from Major League Baseball at the end of the season.
Will White: 680 Innings Pitched in a Season
For comparison’s sake, the most innings hurled by any pitcher in the 21st century was 266, by Roy Halladay in 2003. No pitcher has thrown more than 300 innings in a season since Steve Carlton in 1980. In 1879, Will White pitched a record 75 complete games, with a grand total of 680 innings pitched during the season. Both are sports records that will most likely never be broken.