The 75th anniversary of Joe DiMaggio’s still record-setting, 56-game hitting streak came and went on July 17, reminding everyone of what is still one of the most impressive achievements in the long history of baseball.
As impressive as DiMaggio’s streak is, though, it’s not the most unbreakable mark out there.
For instance, no one’s touching Cy Young’s 511 career wins, Old Hoss Radbourn’s 59 single-season wins, and Will White’s 75 complete games and 680 innings pitched in 1879. All are pitching records from over a century ago that are physically impossible to break given how modern hurlers are taken care of today.
But how about just offensive records? Here are the ten most unbreakable:
10. Hack Wilson’s 191 RBIs
When Chicago’s Hack Wilson drove in his record-setting 191 runs for the Cubs back in 1930, it was nearly broken the very next year when Lou Gehrig drove home 185. Six years later, Hank Greenberg totaled 184 and the next season Jimmie Foxx put up 175.
But no one has really come close since.
Since Foxx’s season in 1938, only Manny Ramirez has broken the 165-RBI mark and even he only drove in exactly 165, back in 1999.
9. Hugh Nicol’s 138 Steals in 1887
Rickey Henderson had 130 steals as late as 1982 and Vince Coleman had three straight seasons of 100-plus steals in the mid-1980s, but no has reached triple-digits this millennium. Since the start of the 2000 season, Jacoby Ellsbury’s 70 steals in 2009 and Scott Podsednik’s 70 in 2004 are tied for the most—barely half of Nicol’s incredible haul (although between 1886 and 1897, steals were awarded for taking an extra base on a hit by another player).
