The 10 Greatest Records in Baseball

Memorial Day has come and gone, but the memory of those honored by it survives. The heroes of battles current and past are honored by all Americans this time of year — a healthy remembrance of the men who accomplished more in a few years than most of us do in a lifetime.

The heroes of baseball past should share the same celebration, but too often, fans and managers get caught up in the pitching probables of the day, strategic moves that were made or missed, and minor injuries to the game's biggest names. While these dimensions are all important at some level, we too often use them as excuses to forget about the history of our great game. With that in mind, I've compiled a list of the 10 greatest records in baseball history.

10. Cy Young's 511 Wins

Granted, Young played in a pitcher's era when it was much more difficult to amass a "W" than it is today. That being said, how come no one from his (or any) era, even approaches Young's total? Walter Johnson is considered by many to be the greatest pitcher in baseball history, and he's a distant second in this race with 417 wins. Roger Clemens is the closest active player with 331 wins (which is probably as historically impressive considering the years in which Clemens has pitched).

9. Barry Bonds' 232 Walks in '04

I know, I know, every time Bonds breaks a record, there's a mob up in arms saying it should be stricken from the record books. That's not going to happen, folks. Bonds' 232 walks during the 2004 season were far and away the most ever in a season, surpassing his own 2002 record of 198, which surpassed his own 2001 record of 177. Opposing teams demonstrated more fear and respect for Bonds than for any player that has gone before him, and rightfully so.

Juiced or not, Bonds is the greatest player of our generation, and the question is not if he belongs on this list somewhere, but if I ripped him off by not including his 73 homer single-season record.

8. Ty Cobb Steals Home 54 Times

Again, it is difficult to compare eras when discussing records, but even when the ill-tempered Cobb played the bases were 90 feet apart and the pitcher's mound was 60 feet, six inches from home. It was as difficult to steal home then as it is now, yet Cobb managed this thievery an amazing 54 times. He's got to make the list somehow, if not for his 12 batting titles (nine of which were consecutively achieved), then for his cunning and speed on the bases. On an aside, but equally impressive, Cobb's teammate Sam Crawford holds the career record for inside the park homeruns, with 51.

7.Yogi Berra's 75 World Series Games

Yogi was more than just the best catcher to ever kneel behind home — he was the most proficient winner to ever round the bases. Berra's 75 World Series games came as he was winning more pennants (14) and championships (10) than any player in history. Trust me, it wasn't coincidence. Berra was an all-star 15 straight years from 1948-1962, and was a three-time MVP, as well. No player today compares with him, but if you could lump the hitting prowess of Mike Piazza, the catching skill of Pudge Rodriguez, and the longevity of Greg Maddux into one player, Yogi is what you'd come up with.

6. Nolan Ryan's Seven No-Hitters

That's right, seven no-no's. For those of you keeping track, that's almost 200 batters faced, with not one of them jacking a homer, finding an ally, bunting for a hit, or even blooping a single. If that doesn't baffle your mind, maybe Ryan's 12 one-hitters will. Only one other man in history has even four no-hitters (Sandy Koufax, whose four came each year from 1962 to 1965). Granted, when you throw an amazing 27 seasons, you've got a few more chances to do things than other people. Ryan always made the most of those chances.

5. Rickey Henderson's Runs, Steals Records

Rickey's got to make the list because of his sheer longevity, durability, and determination. His 2,295 runs scored are more than any major leaguer has ever amassed (Cobb is second with 2,246), but his stolen base record is even more impressive. Henderson's 1,406 career steals lap the field, with the great Lou Brock in second place with a "mere" 938. 1,406 stolen bases. That's the equivalent of 70 stolen bases for 20 years!

To further put into perspective how amazing a total that is, only nine active players have more than just 300 steals, and just two have more than 500 (Kenny Lofton and Bonds). No one's stealing this record anytime soon.

4. Joe DiMaggio's 56-Game Hitting Streak

A lot of people would have claimed this as the must untouchable record ever, and it'd be difficult to argue with them. It is said that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports, yet DiMaggio managed to do it in every game he played for two months in 1941 — unprecedented and unsurpassed since. Almost equally as stunning is that 56 was not a personal best for the Yankee Clipper — he had a 61-game hitting streak in the minor leagues while just 19 years of age.

3. Nolan Ryan's 5,714 Strikeouts

Imagine preparing for a game in which you've got to try and get out legitimate major league batters. Now imagine striking out the side. Now imagine doing that each inning of a complete game, with 27 strikeouts. Now imagine, that making 30 starts each year, you pull that feat each time you take the mound for seven years. That's the equivalent of how many batters Ryan K'd — seven seasons worth of batters.

His record is so unequaled that the greatest power pitchers of today, Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson, have 4,317 and 4,161 strikeouts pitching in a swing-happy era, respectively. Fifth-place Bert Blyleven is over 2,000 behind Ryan, with a still-incredible 3,701 strikeouts. Ryan's record is as much a tribute to his stuff as it his to his longevity and strength.

2. Hank Aaron's 755 Homerunrs

Baseball fans have witnessed perhaps the greatest five-year run any batter has ever had with Barry Bond's 2000-04 campaign. That run came after an already Hall-of-Fame career, a career which has occurred in a live-ball era in a time when all power record are clouded in controversy. Yet Bonds still trails Aaron in the career homerun race, and it appears more and more likely that Aaron might not be caught, as Bonds deals with injury after injury.

Bonds is the only way one can put in context how great Aaron was, for those who didn't get to see him. Aaron played every day, brought power and patience to the plate everyday, and (seemingly) hit a homer every day. If that wasn't enough for you, Hammerin' Hank also holds the major league records for total bases, extra-base hits, and RBI.

1. Cal Ripken, Jr.'s 2,632 Consecutive Games Played

Considering the old record, Lou Gehrig's at 2,130 was considered unbreakable by most experts, and then Ripken tacked another three seasons worth of games onto that. So although records were meant to be broken, this one might be the exception. Not missing a day of work for over 16 years in any profession is admirable; in something as taxing as baseball, it's something else entirely.

It should be impossible, but Ripken's disproved that theory. Of all the players who have come and gone in the over hundred years of professional baseball, only one (Gehrig) has a streak even half as long as Ripken's. Third-place Everett Scott made it to 1,307 consecutive games. Miguel Tejada is the active leader with 810 games at publication time.

Let the debates begin. Is Ripken's record more impressive than Aaron's? Should Bond's 73-homer season be on the list? Should Rickey's steals and runs record have him higher on the list? Is it unhealthy to ask your readers more than three questions at once? In any case, baseball fans everywhere can agree that the records above are unforgettable, if not unbreakable. And if Memorial Day has taught us nothing else, it's that to remember is to honor.