13 Most Unbreakable Records in MLB History

The largest crowd ever to see a Major League Baseball game was 115,300. That was in 2008, when the Red Sox and Dodgers played an exhibition game in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Since most MLB stadiums hold about 40,000 to 50,000 fans, that record seemed safe. Then MLB announced a game to be played in 2025 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, which seats about 146,000 fans. Suddenly, the attendance record is in jeopardy. That leaves these records as the most unbreakable.

Most Career Ejections: Bobby Cox (162)

The longtime Braves and Blue Jays manager made the Hall of Fame thanks to 2,504 wins, five pennants and a World Series championship. But this “accomplishment” will not be surpassed.

For one, he has a comfortable lead over the closest active skipper (Bruce Bochy at 86). Also, with instant replay, there aren’t as many ejections. Bad calls that used to lead to kicking dirt and an early shower can now be corrected. There are still plenty of bad ball-strike calls, but when the robo-umps finally arrive, no one has a shot at Cox.

Most Consecutive Games Played (Cal Ripken Jr. – 2,632)

Ripken didn’t just break Lou Gehrig’s Iron Man streak. After passing Gehrig with consecutive game number 2,131 in 1995, Ripken still played every game for the next three years.

Only one player in the 2000s had a streak longer than 1,000. The longest current streak (as of this writing) belongs to Braves first baseman Matt Olson, at 580 games. To put it in perspective, Ripken played almost that amount – 501 games – after breaking Gehrig’s record. Olson would have to play every game the rest of this year and the next 12 1/2 seasons to reach Ripken. Check back in the Summer of 2037 to see if this one still stands.

Most Hits in a Season (262 – Ichiro Suzuki)

Suzuki racked up 242 hits en route to winning Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2001. That placed in the top 10 for most hits in a season. Three years later, he topped the list after batting .372.

These days, hits and batting averages are down. In the last five full seasons, only two of 10 league leaders had more than 200 hits. That means that Ichiro is not only safe, but Pete Rose’s record for career hits is also. (The bigger question is whether Ichiro would have passed Rose if he had played his entire career in the majors.)

Two Grand Slams in One Inning

On April 23, 1999, the Cardinals’ Fernando Tatis did something no player had done before or has done since. In the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tatis hit two grand slams, both off Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park.

It’s possible that on any given night, some player could have the same good fortune. But given that it’s only happened once in over a century, we’d bet against it. Coincidentally, in 2021, Tatis’ son, Fernando Tatis Jr., hit two homers in a game against the Dodgers—also on April 23. But those were solo shots in different innings.

Shortest Player in MLB History (Eddie Gaedel, 3-foot-7)

Bill Veeck was an owner known for innovations and publicity stunts. As Cleveland’s owner, he signed Larry Doby, the first Black player in the American League. He’s credited with introducing things like names on uniforms, post-game fireworks and even the idea of growing ivy at Wrigley Field.

On the other hand, he’s known for Chicago’s infamous Disco Demolition Night and the White Sox uniforms with collars and shorts. Then there was the time in 1951 he had Gaedel pinch hit for the St. Louis Browns. With hardly any strike zone, he walked on four pitches.

Playing in MLB in Five Decades (Four players)

Veeck again. Minnie Miñoso, the last player to do this, first retired in 1964. Veeck brought him back with the White Sox in 1976. Then he played briefly in 1980 – at age 56 – for the fifth decade. Not to be outdone, Satchel Paige was 59 when he pitched three innings for the Kansas City A’s in 1965, hitting his fifth decade. (Veeck also signed Paige in 1948 as the oldest rookie ever.)

The other two players who appeared in five decades started their careers in the 1800s. No player who debuted in the 1990s even reached four decades.

Most All-Star Teams (Hank Aaron – 25)

Hank Aaron was an All-Star in 21 of his 23 seasons. So, how did he make 25 All-Star teams? From 1959 to 1962, MLB held two All-Star games each season. So, Aaron played on eight All-Star teams in those four years.

Now, there’s only one midsummer classic each year. A player would have to be an All-Star in 26 seasons to break the record. And that’s never happened. Mike Trout, the active leader, would have to make the team every year through 2039 (when he turns 48) to pass Aaron.

Most Games Without a Postseason Appearance (Ernie Banks – 2,528)

Mr. Cub played 19 seasons in Chicago and suffered through losing records in 13 of the first 14. The Cubs finished second twice late in Banks’ career. Today, that may earn a Wild Card, but only division winners made it to the postseason back then.

This record will stand the test of time. For starters, it’s a lot easier to make the playoffs now. This season, 12 teams will qualify (versus two or four when Banks played). Also, players switch teams more often. By the time someone got halfway to Banks, he’d head elsewhere, hoping to improve his playoff chances.

Most Innings Pitched in a Game (Leon Cadore & Joe Oeschger – 26)

The craziest thing about this record is that they set the mark pitching against each other. On May 1, 1920, the Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves played the longest game in MLB history (by innings). When it was stopped tied 1–1 after 26 innings, both pitchers had thrown a complete game.

It’s laughable to think about this record being broken. Twenty–six innings is about four or five games’ worth for the average starter. Complete games – even the 9-inning variety – are a thing of the past. Pitchers went the distance only 35 times in 2023 versus 124 times a decade earlier.

Two Shutouts in a Day (Ed Reulbach)

On September 26, 1908, Reulbach blanked the Dodgers in both games of a doubleheader. Including that day, the Cubs won eight of their final nine to capture the NL pennant. (Reulbach had another shutout on October 1 to help.) They’d go on to win the World Series – and then wait a very long time to win again.

The last time a pitcher had more than two shutouts in a season was in 2017. Doubleheaders are also a rare occurrence, and there’s no way the same pitcher would start both ends. Suffice it to say, this record is unbreakable.

Most Career Wins by a Pitcher (Cy Young – 511)

The award given to the best pitcher in the league each season is named for Young, and for good reason. He’s the all-time leader in wins, shutouts and wins above replacement for pitchers. He won 20 or more games 16 times, including five seasons with 30-plus.

Today’s pitchers don’t pitch as often or as long as Young did, and pitcher wins are not as valued a statistic. Maybe one or two each year reach 20. The question isn’t whether anyone will break Young’s record. It’s whether any current or future pitcher (besides Justin Verlander) will get halfway there.

Most Career Home Runs by a Pitcher (Wes Ferrell – 38)

Let’s get this out of the way first: Shohei Ohtani’s homers going forward count as being hit by a designated hitter, not a pitcher. So, no loophole’s going to break this record. (And very few of Babe Ruth’s homers came when he was a pitcher if you’re curious.)

In order for pitchers to hit home runs, they have to actually hit. And since the National League adopted the designated hitter in 2022, they don’t. Even so, the best-hitting pitcher of recent years, Madison Bumgarner, retired with 19 homers – only halfway to Ferrell.

Most Career Game-Winning RBI (Keith Hernandez – 129)

In 1980, Major League Baseball introduced a new statistic—the game–winning RBI. It was awarded to a player who drove in a run to give his team a lead it never relinquished (similar to how a pitcher qualifies for a win).

This record won’t be broken because GWRBI is no longer an official statistic. MLB discontinued it after the 1988 season because it was pointless. The modern–day equivalent might be the walk–off, which obviously has a much greater impact on a game and is far more exciting.