Untouchable Sports Records

[pilight]

Johnny Vander Meer and his two consecutive no-hitters. To erase him from the record books someone would need three in a row.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by pilight

Johnny Vander Meer and his two consecutive no-hitters. To erase him from the record books someone would need three in a row.

Very good. It is truly incredible to contemplate that possibility.

[thehef]

There are probably a bunch of pitching durability records that will never be touched due to the evolution of role for starting pitchers...

Consider Jack Taylor's 187 consecutive complete games over the 1901-06 seasons. Or his 172 total complete games over a five-year span (1902-06)... Walter Johnson's 205 complete games may or may not be the record for a six-year span...)

[CONN CHRIS]

I don't know how to define it but Ted Radcliffe, in a double header, caught a Satchel Paige no hitter in game one and pitched a no hitter in game 2.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by thehef

There are probably a bunch of pitching durability records that will never be touched due to the evolution of role for starting pitchers...

Consider Jack Taylor's 187 consecutive complete games over the 1901-06 seasons. Or his 172 total complete games over a five-year span (1902-06)... Walter Johnson's 205 complete games may or may not be the record for a six-year span...)

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

I don't know how to define it but Ted Radcliffe, in a double header, caught a Satchel Paige no hitter in game one and pitched a no hitter in game 2.

Interesting stuff. This is how I hoped this thread would go — one that makes you go searching for more information about topics.

Such as, did you know Jack Taylor "actually threw 187 consecutive complete games between June 1901 and August 1906, but this streak was interrupted by 15 additional relief appearances. Thus Taylor appeared in 202 consecutive games without being relieved himself"?

Or that Ted Radcliffe was nicknamed "Double Duty" by the famous newspaperman Damon Runyon for his doubleheader feat? (Which involved shutouts, not no-hitters, Chris. But still.) We've all seen catchers and other position players pitch in lopsided games, but a catcher pitching at a high level for nine innings?

[Amazin69]

Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0. In football.

Lots of players have hit 2 home runs in one inning. (Hello Von Hayes, hello Fernando Tatis, Sr. [Coincidentally, both times against teams managed by Davey Johnson.])

But Gene Rye hit 3 dingers in one inning for the 1930 Waco Cubs. Try and beat THAT!

And then there's Ron Necciai, who threw a no-hitter and struck out 27 batters for the Bristol Twins in 1952. Now, if you mix in a few wild pitches or the game goes to extra innings, this is theoretically breakable…but I wouldn't bet on it.

(Ron turns 93 in June, so he's had plenty of time to celebrate his feat.)

[Déjà Bru]

Bad link, that first one. I found it here, though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1916_C..._football_game

That's absurd. I mean, really. What was the point of running up a score that high? Humiliation? Idiotic.

Did you happen to see that the coach of Georgia Tech was one John Heisman, for whom the trophy is named? I feel like scratching his name off of it.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I feel like scratching his name off of it.

I mean, I know it's Wikipedia and all, and it may not be absolutely accurate, but if this is even close to the truth . . .

Cumberland had disbanded its football program the previous year but was still obligated to play this game against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets' head coach, John Heisman, had been the coach of Georgia Tech's baseball team [my bold] when it was defeated 22–0 by the Bulldogs earlier in 1916, and was looking to avenge that game. Heisman insisted that the Bulldogs fulfill their obligations to play the game and threatened legal action if Cumberland backed out. Cumberland tasked George E. Allen, its baseball captain [my bold], to assemble a football team for the game; he recruited his fraternity brothers and students from Cumberland's law school [my bold] to play in Atlanta.

Another reason for Heisman's plan to run up the score was the practice among the sportswriters of the time to rank teams based upon how many points they scored. Since this statistic did not account for the strength or weakness of a team's opponent, Heisman disagreed with the amount of weight the writers tended to assign to it, and he may have unleashed his players on Cumberland to make his point.

They couldn't find anybody else to name the trophy after?

EDIT — LOL this, though: "Sportswriter Grantland Rice wrote, 'Cumberland's greatest individual play of the game occurred when fullback Allen circled right end for a 6-yard loss.'" Don't stop reading that sentence until the very last word!

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

(Ron turns 93 in June, so he's had plenty of time to celebrate his feat.)

Yes, he's been celebrating that longer than most of us here have been alive!

[Amazin69]

Whoops! Sorry I forgot to put a URL in my link, above.

To atone, I show you the scoreboard for that game.



Notice that Georgia Tech eased up in the 3rd Quarter and even more in the 4th. So much for claiming Heisman showed poor sportsmanship!

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Yes, he's been celebrating that longer than most of us here have been alive!

Ron during his late-1952 cup of coffee with the parent Pirates, who were leagues above Bristol, but the team was a disaster at that point, so GM Branch Rickey was just punting the season, honestly.

(Other brilliant ideas Branch had that year included trading Ralph Kiner to the Cubs for a pile of nothing, because Branch disliked Our Beloved Ralph [who dated Elizabeth Taylor and other film stars; Branch was morally conservative, recall] and wanted Ralph's salary off the books, and trying Dick Hall at 2nd base. Except that Dick was 6'6" and thus not exactly agile on the pivot. The Pirates also tried Dick in CF for a few years before some wise soul made him a relief pitcher, which he was for the last 16 years of his Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame career.

Dick passed 2 summers back, aged 92. I guess surviving the 1952 Pirates was good for the immune system, or something.)



Ron looking nice and spry, just before turning 88, 5 springs back.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by low

Immediately off the top of my head...

Cal Ripken Jr's consecutive games record and Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak.

CY Young's 511 career wins.

Any one of a dozen shutout records..when the leader each year nowadays throws three. Gibson in '68 will do.

Teddy Ballgame's lifetime .482 OBP. Don't see that being touched anytime soon, either.

Tyler O'Neill, if he hits bombs on opening day for the rest of his career....heh heh heh.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

Tyler O'Neill, if he hits bombs on opening day for the rest of his career....heh heh heh.

Imagine getting to three and then some nerd with spectacles in the dark corner of the front office wheezes up to the manager and spitfully explains that the other team's Opening Day pitcher means this and that, and, sorry kid, but we need the platoon advantage here, you're sitting this one out.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

Any one of a dozen shutout records..when the leader each year nowadays throws three.

A bit generous The last time a guy threw three shutouts in a season was eight years ago, 2017 (both Corey Kluber and Ervin Santana). Since then only 11 times has a player thrown 2 shutouts in a season.

[cojo82]

bonds .609 OBP in 2004.

[Edster007]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Bad link, that first one. I found it here, though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1916_C..._football_game

That's absurd. I mean, really. What was the point of running up a score that high? Humiliation? Idiotic.

Did you happen to see that the coach of Georgia Tech was one John Heisman, for whom the trophy is named? I feel like scratching his name off of it.

read the wiki GT missed 2 extra points or the score would have really been embarrassing

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Edster007

read the wiki GT missed 2 extra points or the score would have really been embarrassing

Hey, whoever was doing the kicking hit on 31 out of 33 PAT, that's pretty good. Especially as he was kicking straight-on, since soccer-style hadn't been invented yet.

Probably the "kicker" was also playing regularly, since I doubt kicking specialists were a thing back then. I'm amazed his leg didn't cramp, honestly.

[Edster007]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Hey, whoever was doing the kicking hit on 31 out of 33 PAT, that's pretty good. Especially as he was kicking straight-on, since soccer-style hadn't been invented yet.

Probably the "kicker" was also playing regularly, since I doubt kicking specialists were a thing back then. I'm amazed his leg didn't cramp, honestly.

Good point and if he handled kickoffs that would be another 33 kicks. Almost half a season in one afternoon

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I mean, I know it's Wikipedia and all, and it may not be absolutely accurate, but if this is even close to the truth . . .

They couldn't find anybody else to name the trophy after?

EDIT — LOL this, though: "Sportswriter Grantland Rice wrote, 'Cumberland's greatest individual play of the game occurred when fullback Allen circled right end for a 6-yard loss.'" Don't stop reading that sentence until the very last word!

The back story of Hieshman's resentment toward Cumberland and thirst for revenge also included his belief that Cumberland had brought in some professional ringers for that 22-0 baseball beat down.

It was a different time for sure.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Edster007

read the wiki GT missed 2 extra points or the score would have really been embarrassing

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Hey, whoever was doing the kicking hit on 31 out of 33 PAT, that's pretty good. Especially as he was kicking straight-on, since soccer-style hadn't been invented yet.

Probably the "kicker" was also playing regularly, since I doubt kicking specialists were a thing back then. I'm amazed his leg didn't cramp, honestly.

Originally Posted by Edster007

Good point and if he handled kickoffs that would be another 33 kicks. Almost half a season in one afternoon

LOL, I just re--read these posts. Imagine being that kicker who, I would venture to say, is usually not the most athletic guy on the team.

Kicker: "WTF, again?" Or, given the times, "My goodness, again? Coach, my leg is killing me. Mind if I sit this one out?"

Heisman: "Yeah, I do mind. Get your sorry a$$ . . ." er, "Kindly get yourself out there and kick the ball. And don't miss. I want every point!"