Spring Break
Unbreakable records
Adam Loghides
Issue date: 5/13/09 Section: Sports
This column is brought to you by Ryan Zimmerman's hitting streak. I figured since everything in sports is sponsored by something, this column should be as well.
Once Zimmerman, the only Washington National player worth watching, extended his hitting streak past the halfway point of Joe DiMaggio's 56-gamer in 1941, I started thinking about which records are unbreakable in baseball and the most recent sport to conclude its season, college basketball.
Since Zimmerman is bringing this column to you, we may as well start with Major League Baseball. It's DiMaggio's hitting streak that I contend will never be broken. Some say Cal Ripken, Jr.'s longevity record will never be broken - and that may be the case. I simply believe that DiMaggio's hitting streak will absolutely, positively, never be broken.
Consider this: Any player who can stay relatively injury-free and can play at an elite level will have a chance to break Ripken's record.
The major reason for DiMaggio's hitting streak standing forever? Specialty pitchers. I actually blame Tony LaRussa for that. As a Cubs fan, I find that relatively easy to do at any time, to be honest.
About 30 years ago, the game of baseball changed from a "gut" game to a "computer" game. Simply said, managers no longer used their gut to make decisions on replacing pitchers late in games. They began to use statistics. Mind numbing, this-guy-hits-.200-against-lefties-after-the-seventh-inning-in-day-games-played-on-Tuesdays kinds of statistics. And LaRussa led the cavalry in that change.
Because of that change in managerial style, nobody will ever have a chance to challenge DiMaggio's hit streak.
According to Peter Gammons of ESPN and the Elias Sports Bureau, (and believe me, neither Gammons nor myself looked this one up) when DiMaggio got a hit in 56 consecutive games, he did so off of 53 pitchers. When Pete Rose got as close as anyone ever has to DiMaggio by hitting in 44 straight in 1978, he faced 60 different pitchers.
Once Zimmerman, the only Washington National player worth watching, extended his hitting streak past the halfway point of Joe DiMaggio's 56-gamer in 1941, I started thinking about which records are unbreakable in baseball and the most recent sport to conclude its season, college basketball.
Since Zimmerman is bringing this column to you, we may as well start with Major League Baseball. It's DiMaggio's hitting streak that I contend will never be broken. Some say Cal Ripken, Jr.'s longevity record will never be broken - and that may be the case. I simply believe that DiMaggio's hitting streak will absolutely, positively, never be broken.
Consider this: Any player who can stay relatively injury-free and can play at an elite level will have a chance to break Ripken's record.
The major reason for DiMaggio's hitting streak standing forever? Specialty pitchers. I actually blame Tony LaRussa for that. As a Cubs fan, I find that relatively easy to do at any time, to be honest.
About 30 years ago, the game of baseball changed from a "gut" game to a "computer" game. Simply said, managers no longer used their gut to make decisions on replacing pitchers late in games. They began to use statistics. Mind numbing, this-guy-hits-.200-against-lefties-after-the-seventh-inning-in-day-games-played-on-Tuesdays kinds of statistics. And LaRussa led the cavalry in that change.
Because of that change in managerial style, nobody will ever have a chance to challenge DiMaggio's hit streak.
According to Peter Gammons of ESPN and the Elias Sports Bureau, (and believe me, neither Gammons nor myself looked this one up) when DiMaggio got a hit in 56 consecutive games, he did so off of 53 pitchers. When Pete Rose got as close as anyone ever has to DiMaggio by hitting in 44 straight in 1978, he faced 60 different pitchers.
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