Baseball’s Unbreakable Records

Records are made to be broken, but sometimes that’s easier said than done.

Baseball, in particular, is a game of records and statistics, and some are more likely to pass the test of time than others. Babe Ruth’s 714 career home runs seemed unassailable for decades, but Henry Aaron eventually pushed the “Sultan of Swat” aside. In 2007, Barry Bonds (insert punchline here) relegated Aaron to second place, but many believe Alex Rodriguez eventually will end up on top.

In a few cases, however, the standard is so far out there that it’s difficult to see anyone coming along to shake up the rankings. Here are just a few baseball records that seem safe for the time being…and well beyond.

1. Cy Young’s 511 victories: Only Walter Johnson (417) managed to top 400. Among active players, Greg Maddux won his 350th game this season, but he’s 42 and nearing the end of his career. In the era of five-man rotations, no one is likely to come to Young’s standard.

2. Nolan Ryan’s 5,714 strikeouts: The apparently-retired Roger Clemens is next with 4,672. Among active players, Randy Johnson started the 2008 season with 4,616 strikeouts. The 44-year-old Johnson would need to average more than 220 strikeouts over five seasons to pass Ryan.

3. Nolan Ryan’s seven no-hitters: Sandy Koufax is next on the all-time list with four. No active player has more than two.

4. Cal Ripken’s 2,632 consecutive games played: Ripken didn’t take a day off between May 30, 1982 and Sept. 20, 1998, passing previous ironman Lou Gehrig (2,130) by more than 500 games. Among active players, Miguel Tejada had his string of 1,152 consecutive games come to an end on June 21, 2007.

5. Don Larsen’s World Series Perfect Game (1956): No one has done it in more than 50 years. What are the odds against someone doing it again, much less twice?