Baseball Records

While to the initiated baseball seems to be just about bats and balls, it is actually a game of numbers. And for many people, the entire game centers around the major league baseball records.

Holding one of the MLB records will help you to earn a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. And, whenever someone comes close to breaking one of the all time major league baseball records, it is sure to make front page news.

For some die hard fans, having a major league baseball record book is a must. These will allow you to see all of the all time MLB records. You can purchase your MLB record book at baseball gift shops, book stores, or online. Some may be designed to just let you know the MLB record holders, while others will give you stats on each month, for instance, the 2005 major league baseball records by month. Others may give you all time records, while some books focus on MLB single season records.

However, every major league baseball record is made to be broken. Here is a look at some of the current record holders.

In MLB pitching records, the most wins in a season is 59, and is held by Hoss Radborn for 1884. However, keep in mind that pitchers then threw a lot more than today’s pitchers. To find someone in the 20th century, you have to start at number 25 on the list for Jack Chesbro in 1904 with 41 wins, and no one after World War 1 even made the top 100.

The MLB home run record is probably one of the most exciting ones for the fans, and in recent years has been much contested. In a single season, this title is held by Barry Bonds, and for an entire career Hank Aaron holds the title. However, baseball fans are watching for Barry Bonds to beat this record in the 2007 season.

Throwing a perfect game, or having all players strikeout, is a much coveted event in the game of baseball, and happens rarely. So having the most strikeouts is quite a distinction. The MLB strikeout record is currently tied between three players: Randy Johnson, Kerry Wood, and Roger Clemens. Randy Johnson’s was May 8, 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cincinnati, and was just recently recognized, since the game went 11 innings, but it was determined that all were in the first 9. Kerry Wood’s was May 6, 1998 and was Chicago Clubs vs. Houston. Roger Clemens has two: September 18, 1996 with Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit and in April 29, 1986 with the Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle.

Of course, baseball would not be where it was today without the fans. The MLB attendance record continues to grow every year, with over 75 million fans expected to be in attendance for 2007.