Even now the likes of Babe Ruth, Pete Rose and Mickey Mantle are household names. Despite the passage of time their brilliant performances in
Major League Baseball (MLB) - combined with that certain x-factor - has made these baseball players of the twenties, forties and eighties the stuff of legends.
Each of these men has their name etched into the record books but there are a host of equally skilled players who have, through no fault of their own, faded into partial obscurity.
In celebration of the ‘nearly men’, the players who set the records for shutouts, strikeouts, triples and no-hitters but never quite reached the dazzling heights of their more famous comrades, we offer this ode to greatness:
Sam Crawford: Most Triples (309)
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Sam Crawford was a hard-hitting outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He had a reputation as a serious slugger, as his virtually unassailable all-time record for the most triples attests. The burly batter intimidated even the best pitchers in MLB and when he was on-song everybody, including the umpires, scurried for cover.
Crawford’s record 309 triples are 14 better than his closest rival, Ty Cobb. At the end of a career that spanned 18 years Wahoo Sam, as he was affectionately known, accumulated 2,961 hits and a batting average of .309.
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The Baseball Hall of Famer has one more accolade to his name and that’s the record for the most ‘inside the park home runs’ in a season (12). Although he may not be as famous as a Ruth or a Rose, the left-handed batting machine is widely regarded as one of the greatest sluggers of the dead-ball era.
Walter Johnson: Most Shutouts (110)
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The right-handed power pitcher for the Washington Senators was renowned for his 140 to 145 kph fastball and ripping sidearm pitching motion. This unique action proved to be lethal as his all-time record of 110 shutouts clearly proves.
What’s even more extraordinary is Johnson held the career record in strikeouts (3,508) for more than half a century. It was only in 1983 that Steve Carlton, Gaylord Perney and most recently Nolan Ryan smashed his all-time MLB record. Is Johnson one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history? You betcha!
Nolan Ryan: Most Strikeouts (5,714)
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Nolan Ryan was a devastatingly deceptive right-handed pitcher that had a notorious curveball to match. He enjoyed an extended career at the very apex of baseball playing for top flight teams - the New York Mets, California Angles, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers.
He could regularly pitch at top speeds of over 160 kph, a sizzling skill-set that earned him a whopping 5,714 strikeouts. His all-time record is 839 clear of his nearest rival, Randy Johnson. To add insult to injury the so-called’ Ryan Express’ boasts the MLB record for seven no-hitters… three more than any other pitcher in history.
Ed Walsh: Lowest ERA (1.82)
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Ed Walsh was an outstanding pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Braves. In his first full season he racked up an impressive 171 strikeouts and an earned run average (ERA) of 1.88. Sadly Walsh, a young player recognised as one of the best pitchers in the MLB at the time, had a promising career foreshortened by injury.
Before he ‘crashed out and burned Walsh set the record for the lowest ERA, a record that still stands more than 100 years on. Walsh is also one of only two players of the ‘modern’ era to win 40 plus games in a single season. Just imagine what he could have achieved if injury hadn’t intervened?
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