Joe Mauer, Twins

My missing Battling Bucs 1960 yearbook has been rescued; seems I had buried it in a pile of ancient Sports Illustrated magazines and, to my dismay, I found the entire book covered with examples of my fine green crayon art skills. Paradise lost.

Flipping through so many magazines and re-reading articles about various baseball teams and players got me to thinking about baseball history and the records or feats once deemed insurmountable that have been demystified and either equaled or broken. And, I also began considering which modern day players might have the best chance to add their respective names to baseball’s record book.

CAL RIPKEN’s 2,632 consecutive games

Given most modern position players don’t even play a full season’s worth of games, it seems Ripken’s mark might stand the test of time.  In 2007 Miguel Tejada hit 1,152 consecutive games, spanning seven seasons and there are no other players close to 1,000 games played.  The one player who has the grit and determination required for playing every day, season after season, is Chase Utley, second baseman of the defending N.L. Champion Phillies.

JOE DIMAGGIO’s 56 consecutive game hits

Good pitching stops good hitting every time; simple as that. Several players have come within sight of the 56-game record but the current level seems to be around 35 consecutive games.  Pressed for a potential Dimaggio record breaker, I submit Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins, the 2009 All-Star catcher who is a pure hitter, having won the last two A.L. Batting titles.

OREL HERSHISER’s 59 consecutive scoreless innings

“Wow!” is the only phrase which comes to mind when considering the mastery Hershiser had to exhibit such that not even one fluke run crossed the plates in what amounts to a little over six straight games. Even today’s most dominating pitchers: Roy Hallyday, Zach Grienke, Cliff Lee, Mariano Rivera, or Chris Carpenter will never approach pitching more than a single game shut out.

Johnny Vander Meer's consecutive no-hitters

If Hershiser’s consecutive scoreless innings warrants a “Wow!” I think the only descriptor of Vander Meer’s feat is “Amazing!”  Eighteen innings without even a scratch single or a fluke hit is even more impressive considering the No-Hitter King, Nolan Ryan, never approached hurling consecutive hitless games. The Giants’ Tim Lincecum has only been in the big show three years but he already has two Cy Young Awards and 40 career victories.  If any modern day pitcher could throw back to back “no-nos.” it‘s Lincecum.

Though not considered a record, baseball’s top hitting feat is winning the Triple Crown, (leading the league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in). There has not been a Triple Crown winner since Carl “Yaz” Yazstremski in 1967. The National League has not had a Triple Crowm winner since St. Louis’ Joe “Ducky” Medwick in 1937. Granted, it takes a special type of hitter to hit for power and average; usually the two are mutually exclusive, however there is one player I believe can, and will, end his career with a triple crown season is Albert Pujols. Pujols’ batting average has never dropped below .320 since 2003 and he consistently is near the top in home runs and runs batted in; indeed, in 2009 Pujols led the league with 47 home runs.

Baseball is a sport rich in history. Personally, as a history major at the University of Pittsburgh, I touched baseball history everyday as I stepped on the glass-encased home plate from Forbes Field which is encased in Posvar Hall.

Enough waxing nostalgic.  Next week, I’ll start reviewing the2010 outlook for each N.L. team.