Now that the truth is out and most everybody believes that the season and career home run records are tarnished by the use of steroids, it makes me ask the question, what should we as baseball fans consider to be the most important MLB record?
The home run has always been the most popular record in baseball, but the single season and career records have been shattered by players that have been in the lime light for the use of steroids such as Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds. It’s hard for me to accept that former single season home run record holder Roger Maris has fallen to seventh on the list with 61 homers which he set in 1961 after breaking Babe Ruth’s record of 60 home runs set in 1927. A record that stood for 37 years, and 34 years before that. The 61 home run mark was broken six times in four years from 1998-2001. Three times by Sammy Sosa who hit 66 in 1998, 63 in 1999 and 64 in 2001. Twice by Mark McGwire with 70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999, and then once by the new record holder Barry Bonds who hit 73 in 2001. These are records that I refuse to acknowledge. The only modern day home run hitter I will accept is Ken Griffey Jr. and whatever mark he ends up with. As it stands he is the only home run hitter that has avoided the steroid issues of the past ten years or so. So far Griffey Jr. has hit 611 career homers but has never hit more than 56 in a season.
The top ten all time career home runs list also includes four players involved in the steroid scandals, Rafael Palmerio who is #10 on the list with 569 homers, Mark McGwire #8 with 583 career dingers, Sammy Sosa #6 with 609, and Barry Bonds #1 with a whopping 762 tainted career home runs. So as far as I’m concerned Hank Aaron,Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays are still the top three on the all time home runs list. With all the damage that has been done to the image of the home run and major league baseball, I have been paying more attention to other MLB records that I believe are true records such as the longest consecutive games hit streak and the most hits in a season. These two records are awesome achievements. Even though one of them was set recently in 2004 when Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki got 262 hits in one season breaking the previous record set by George Sisler of the St.Louis Browns who had 257 hits in 1920. That’s right, 1920. The only other time the record has been approached by a modern day player was in 2001 by guess who? Yup, Ichiro Suzuki who reached 242 hits while winning the AL MVP award and Rookie of the year. Out of the top twelve leaders on the list of most hits in a season, ten of them set there marks in 1930 or earlier (Twice by Sisler) the other two of course were set by Ichiro Suzuki. Any player that whacks 200 hits in a season has had a great season let alone 262 hits in a season. With 162 games on a modern day baseball schedule that is an average of 1.617 hits per game. This is not a record you could break by having good first half to the season and a bad second half. You have to be solid all year round. That is why I think this record is so important. The other record is held by one of baseball’s greatest hitters of all time, Joe DiMaggio. The longest hits streak was set in 1941 when The Yankee Clipper caught the attention of America when he hit in 56 consecutive games besting the previous mark of 44 games set in 1897 by Willie Keeler of the Baltimore Orioles. No other player has ever reached 50 consecutive games and only five other times has the 40 consecutive games mark been reached. As a matter of fact nobody other than DiMaggio has even passed the previous record of 44 set by Keeler. Only Pete Rose has matched that mark hitting in his 44 games streak in 1978. Joe’s record has held strong for 68 years.
Whenever a player goes over 20 consecutive games with a hit, people start to take notice but always end up disappointed. I have to be honest I don’t think this record is going to fall for another 68 or more years nor do I want it to. This is a record that a lot of young baseball fans don’t even know about but will learn quickly if anybody ever reaches the forty games mark in the future. I would have to assume the country would be abuzz once again like it was in 1941 when Joe DiMaggio broke and then set the new mark of 56 games in a row with a hit, and then again in 1998 when the home run chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa captured our imaginations and saved the popularity of baseball after the damaging effects that the 1994 MLB lockout had on the popularity of the game.
It’s too bad that same home run chase has played such a major role in ruining the image of baseball today. The most consecutive games with a hits record is the only record that I believe could cause the same amount of excitement as the home run record once did.
