Is DiMaggio's Streak Truly Unbreakable?

[r0nster]

I have found that it is easier in the fictional world the Hitting streak is more attainable. In the OOTP real players world it seems its more difficult. However I have a theory as to why and I do stand to be corrected. In the fictional world it has no foundation to play on so as you start the fictional world it builds that foundation and interesting real world records are bound to be broken.

[Ruthian23]

Originally Posted by Questdog

It is certainly breakable. Tough one to break, but certainly feasible.

There are records that are a lot more unbreakable than the Streak. Like 60 games won by a pitcher in 1 season. Or 513 strikeouts by a pitcher in 1 season. Or 75 complete games. Or 50 assists by an outfielder. or.....the list goes on.

I'd say DiMaggio's streak is perhaps one of the least likely single season records to be broken that could even theoretically be broken. Like you said, there are plenty of records that are just totally unbreakable based on how baseball is played (mostly single season pitching records, as you indicated).

Outside of pitching, I think maybe the only three completely unbreakable single season records are:

1. Joe Sewell's 4 strikeouts as a full time offiensive player in both 1925 and 1929.

1A. John Gochnaur's post 1900 record of 98 errors.

2. Nap Lajoie hitting .427, the highest post 1900 mark.

There are a few others that I can't really imagine being broken but certainly aren't in the above category:

1. Single season record of 36 triples.
2. Barry Bonds' 232 BBs.
3. Ricky Henderson's 130 SBs.

I think DiMaggio's streak is probably in the area of those three.

[TomVeal]

Long, long ago - back in the late '50's or early 60's - I read an article in a baseball publication titled "Records That Will Never Be Broken". Number one on the list was Ty Cobb's 96 stolen bases in one season. It stuck in my mind, because I was living in Seattle then, and a guy named Maury Wills was playing for the PCL Rainiers.

[swoboda]

Originally Posted by Ruthian23

I'd say DiMaggio's streak is perhaps one of the least likely single season records to be broken that could even theoretically be broken. Like you said, there are plenty of records that are just totally unbreakable based on how baseball is played (mostly single season pitching records, as you indicated).

Outside of pitching, I think maybe the only three completely unbreakable single season records are:

1. Joe Sewell's 4 strikeouts as a full time offiensive player in both 1925 and 1929.

1A. John Gochnaur's post 1900 record of 98 errors.

2. Nap Lajoie hitting .427, the highest post 1900 mark.

There are a few others that I can't really imagine being broken but certainly aren't in the above category:

1. Single season record of 36 triples.
2. Barry Bonds' 232 BBs.
3. Ricky Henderson's 130 SBs.

I think DiMaggio's streak is probably in the area of those three.

I agree I can't see any of the ones you enumerated being broken
But I can see DiMag's streak being broken, nothing is an error today unless it is really obvious, and instant replay will help as well
Of course with the shift in full bloom, Bonds could have broken the 56 record if he wanted to afew yrs ago, he could have hit .400 as well, the yr he hit .370 if was willing to sacrifice a few HR swings. I'm just sayin....

[Ruthian23]

Originally Posted by swoboda

I agree I can't see any of the ones you enumerated being broken
But I can see DiMag's streak being broken, nothing is an error today unless it is really obvious, and instant replay will help as well
Of course with the shift in full bloom, Bonds could have broken the 56 record if he wanted to afew yrs ago, he could have hit .400 as well, the yr he hit .370 if was willing to sacrifice a few HR swings. I'm just sayin....

I could see someone hitting .400, too, though I'm not sure if or when we will. I think .427 is quite a bit harder than that. I tend to think beating the shift has to be more difficult than most fans/broadcasters seem to suggest. I think you would have found somebody taking all of those free hits by now otherwise, or at least exploiting it to get teams to move back to normal positions. I never played baseball at anything resembling a high level, but I have to think that against professional pitching, that's a lot easier said than done. Even if it could be done with some regularity, though, I think Bonds would have had a tough time just because of all the walks. Even if he could hit a grounder to third 8 times out of 10 if he wanted to, if he happens to hit one to the third baseman playing short in the 1st inning and then gets walked three or four times, there goes his streak.

I also think instant replay is probably as likely to hurt someone's effort as to help it.

[Curve Ball Dave]

I also think Nolan Ryan's 383 strike outs in a season is completely out of reach. They just don't let pitchers throw that many innings any more.

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by Curve Ball Dave

I also think Nolan Ryan's 383 strike outs in a season is completely out of reach. They just don't let pitchers throw that many innings any more.

Yes, but when the average pitcher gets 16 strikeouts per 9 innings, it won't take that many innings to break it......

[jaysdailydose]

Originally Posted by Curve Ball Dave

I also think Nolan Ryan's 383 strike outs in a season is completely out of reach. They just don't let pitchers throw that many innings any more.

I don't really think it'll be broken either, but I think its got a lot more of a chance then some records on the list.

It is 38 10K starts though, so that's rough... but as someone else mentioned earlier in the thread, at the increased rate that hitters strike out nowadays, who knows? Randy was within 13 of Ryan in the last 15 years, and within 20 just two years prior. (372 in 2001, 364 in 1999)

On the career numbers, the main thing I look at is that there is no active player within 3000 of Ryan. King Felix is the only active player under the age of 30 over 2,000 K's and he only has 2,014. Kershaw has 1,518 and he's already 27.

[scott1964]

Originally Posted by TomVeal

Long, long ago - back in the late '50's or early 60's - I read an article in a baseball publication titled "Records That Will Never Be Broken". Number one on the list was Ty Cobb's 96 stolen bases in one season. It stuck in my mind, because I was living in Seattle then, and a guy named Maury Wills was playing for the PCL Rainiers.

So close...

[Tram2Whitaker]

The sad thing is, that if Joe Dimaggio were playing today, he would have probably been intentionally walked 4 times in game 30 of his streak. Since I've been following baseball, every streak of note has ended that way.

[Throne_Taker93]

A catcher in one of my leagues in OOTP 16 hit .367 with a 65 game hitting streak the next season he had a 57 game hitting streak and then the following year he had 2 separate hitting streaks 1 36 games the other 42 games... he was easily the best hitter in that league. His career Average was .348 sadly he was a late bloomer (didn't appear in the majors til age 29) and then by age 33 or 34 injuries caught up to him and while still good his average dropped into the low 300's, and he only averaged about 90 games a season.

[TomVeal]

Originally Posted by scott1964

So close...

I infer that World War II and the Korean War never happened in your league's universe, so that Ted Williams had five more playing seasons than in ours.

[jaysdailydose]

Originally Posted by Tram2Whitaker

The sad thing is, that if Joe Dimaggio were playing today, he would have probably been intentionally walked 4 times in game 30 of his streak. Since I've been following baseball, every streak of note has ended that way.

Which one? I've been following baseball for 25+ years (I'm about to be 37) and I've never seen anyone on a streak intentionally walked in every plate appearance.

[r0nster]

even Pete Rose who came the closest with 44 game hitting streak had 18 IBB and that came in 1969. The year of his 44 game hitting streak he only had 6 IBBs. Doesn't exactly seem to wash with me

[Talorin]

Only time I can recall having a player that came even close was I think OOTP14, I had a guy that would regularly get 30-40 game hit streaks. His best I believe was 47. That man?

Oscar Taveras.

[dunningrb]

Originally Posted by Tram2Whitaker

The sad thing is, that if Joe Dimaggio were playing today, he would have probably been intentionally walked 4 times in game 30 of his streak. Since I've been following baseball, every streak of note has ended that way.

From MLB's miscellaneous rules:

"Consecutive-Game Hitting Streaks: A consecutive-game hitting streak shall not be terminated if all the player's plate appearances (one or more) results in a base on balls, hit batsman, defensive interference or a sacrifice bunt. The streak shall terminate if the player has a sacrifice fly and no hit. The player's individual consecutive-game hitting streak shall be determined by the consecutive games in which the player appears and is not determined by his club's games."

[jaysdailydose]

Originally Posted by dunningrb

From MLB's miscellaneous rules:

"Consecutive-Game Hitting Streaks: A consecutive-game hitting streak shall not be terminated if all the player's plate appearances (one or more) results in a base on balls, hit batsman, defensive interference or a sacrifice bunt. The streak shall terminate if the player has a sacrifice fly and no hit. The player's individual consecutive-game hitting streak shall be determined by the consecutive games in which the player appears and is not determined by his club's games."

In other words, what dude says he's seen every time couldn't even possibly happen? Lol thanks buddy.

[mikestack]

Originally Posted by jldante56

I've been playing OOTP since '13...I've played around 250 seasons in total...the longest hitting streak I've ever seen was 37 games.

Anyone ever seen longer, or better yet, ever seen DiMaggio's streak beaten?

A little late to the party, but several years (real time, not game time :-) ) ago, I had a player have a 58 game hitting streak:

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...-counting.html

[scott1964]

Originally Posted by TomVeal

I infer that World War II and the Korean War never happened in your league's universe, so that Ted Williams had five more playing seasons than in ours.

Yes. Next time , if I ever do a next time i will figure something out to a more realistic time off other than the miss time according to History option.

[italyprof]

Well this is well-timed given this thread: since some of you were nice enough to explain the what, where and how of the Spritze database and using it in Random Debut historical leagues, I tried it out - it is really great - a league starting in 1920 (I get bored with the long deadball, low power stat eras, though I like the idea of an 1871 or 1901 start in theory and am no fan of the steroid era stat inflation - but I digress) and created a team with Masaichi Kenada of Japan as our ace, an aging but still good Don Mattingly at first - great fun. Well, I run the Brooklyn Robins. The New York Yankees second baseman is Nap Laojie and he just hit in 43 straight games - the most I have ever seen in an OOTPs league so far. I was starting to think that the game was rigged to stop streaks in the mid-20s. But he got stopped at 43. We have played about 65 games on the season and Lajoie is hitting .424, leading the league by a big margin.