The unheralded unbreakable record in MLB
There are two unbreakable records in MLB that go entirely unnoticed when we list the top ones, and they are the career and single-season records for triples.
Joe DiMaggio‘s 56-game hitting streak, Cy Young‘s record for wins, losses and career innings pitched, Orel Hershiser‘s scoreless innings streak, Rickey Henderson‘s stolen base record, and Pete Rose‘s hit record all mark all top lists of MLB‘s unbreakable records. Two players get left out when talking about the unbreakable records, Sam Crawford and Chief Wilson.
Crawford finished his MLB career in 1917 with 309 career triples, and Wilson set the single-season record for triples in MLB back in 1912 with an astounding 36. Crawford in the only MLB player to eclipse 300 triples in his career, and since the beginning of the 1913 season, the most triples in a season was 26.
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The triple is probably the most exciting hit in all of baseball, but it’s become so rare. In 2017, the MLB triples king was Charlie Blackmon with 14. The top three players in the majors combined couldn’t even top the 36 triples Wilson produced in 1913.
Why is this record unbreakable? In Wilson’s day, double and triples were the power numbers, because home runs were less prevalent. That’s partially due to the ball being used until it was worn out, and partly due to the size of ballparks.
Smaller ballparks lead to fewer triples because the outfielders can get to the ball more quickly, thus limiting players to doubles, unless the ball hit in a perfect spot. The current active leader for career triples is Jose Reyes with 128, and that’s nowhere near the record. Among those who have played most or all of their careers in what is known as the “live ball” era, Stan Musial has the most with 177.
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The other records are unbreakable too, but these are apparently never going to be approached.