Which baseball records are the least likely to be surpassed in our lifetime? Despite being set several years ago, many of the game’s most outstanding records have endured the test of time and seem unreachable. There is an abundance of remarkable records in Major League Baseball – some are associated with household names like Cal Ripken or Nolan Ryan, and others are obscure but powerful numbers that have been mingled with legends.

Given an infinite amount of time, many things that seem inconceivable at the moment (in baseball) may not be as impossible as we now believe them. For instance, it had been 84 years since the previous record of 257 hits in a season was established, so it seemed unlikely to be broken until Ichiro Suzuki batted 262 hits in 2004. This means the aphorism “records are meant to be broken” is true. Yet, some records have stood the test of time and look impossible to be broken, at least from what we know now.

Today’s MLB players and teams are among the finest ever because of developments in strategy, training, and management, as well as a larger pool of available talent which is why millions of people follow the league and thousands of punters consistently bet on the MLB. Every year, a slew of previous seasons’ best records are shattered, but certain records have remained standing. Do you ever find yourself wondering which MLB milestones may never be topped? We do too, and this article will focus on five of these truly incredible milestones.

Most Career No-Hitters

For a pitcher, tossing a no-hitter is regarded as the second most difficult single-game achievement apart from a perfect game. Yet, Nolan Ryan achieved it three times, more than any other pitcher. Ryan tossed his first perfect game in May of 1973, his second precisely two months later, and his last one 18 years later, at 44.

In total, he was able to achieve seven no-hitters. For context, just four pitchers in baseball history have delivered three no-hitters, an astounding accomplishment that clearly shows Ryan’s brilliance.

Most Consecutive No-Hitters

Nolan Ryan’s record of no-hit innings is astounding, but even he couldn’t pull it off in back-to-back starts. There was just a four-day gap between Vander Meer’s 1938 no-hitters. In the years afterwards, Max Scherzer pitched a one-hitter after he threw a no-hitter in 2015, and Dave Stieb had his second no-hitter attempt broken up with two outs in the ninth inning in 1990.

Two starts apart, Ewell Blackwell went 17 innings without allowing a hit. Unfortunately, he was removed before the end of his second start. For as long as no one tosses a perfect game, Vander Meer’s 1938 record of three straight no-hitters stands.

Most Season Hits

Getting 200 hits in a season is a significant accomplishment, and most MLB players should be pleased with themselves if they achieve it once. For Ichiro Suzuki at his peak, however, it was merely another regular season. In his first decade as a professional, the Japanese slugger averaged .321 batting per season with no less than 200 hits in all of those ten seasons.

His career high is 262 hits, achieved in 2004. Also, he had a total of 704 official at-bats in his career despite making 762 plate appearances.

Most Consecutive Game Record

The all-time Major League Baseball record of 2,632 straight games played by Cal Ripken may be one of the most unbreakable records in baseball history, right on par with Cy Young’s number of victories.

After surpassing Lou Gehrig’s all-time milestone of 2,130 in 1995, Ripken played 502 more consecutive games until retiring on September 20, 1998. Even though Miguel Tejada played 1,152 games between 2000 and 2007, this is only a portion of what Cal Ripken accomplished throughout his career.

Most Career Complete Games

While most of the records on this list pertain only to the “modern age” of baseball (i.e., after 1900), it would be rude to leave out Young’s incredible accomplishments. Because of his dominance and longevity in an era when relief pitchers were seldom used, he set several records for wins (511), losses (316), and complete games (749).

A pitcher would need to win 25 games every season for 20 years at an average of 25 wins per season to achieve 500 career wins. Three pitchers in the previous 40 years have accomplished that feat once, and with the rise of relief pitchers, starters are no longer often credited with making critical calls.

To emphasize Cy Young’s legendary status, to equal the record, Justin Verlander would need to win 24 games every year for the following decade on average. Even though his team is among the consecutive favorites for the World Series title every year, that will not happen anytime soon. Cy Young is so phenomenal that an MLB award is named after him.

Final Thoughts

These are just a few of the baseball records that diehard fans believe will never be surpassed. However, it is important to state that claims that a record will never be broken are supported by subjective, unrealistic reasoning. A definition of “never broken” or ”almost impossible to break” can pass, but “never” may be out of place. If history has taught us anything, nothing is ever impossible.

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Some baseball records are called “unbreakable” because they were set by chance or before introducing new rules, tactics, or other factors. Discover five of them here.

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