Players who hit for multiple cycles in their careers
Hitting for multiple cycles in a career is one of the rarest feats in baseball. Only 28 Modern Era American or National League players have done it. Four of them have joined the group in the last five seasons: Trea Turner, Brock Holt, Christian Yelich and Freddie Freeman. Yelich made
Players who have hit for the cycle
Getting four knocks in one day is memorable for even the best hitters. But getting a hit of each kind -- a single, double, triple and homer -- in the same game? That's something special. How special? It's only happened once in postseason history, when the Red Sox's Brock Holt
MLB rookies to throw no-hitters
Throwing a no-hitter is hard enough for a crafty veteran. But doing it as a rookie? Well, that puts you into some of the most elite company in the game's history. Only 25 big leaguers have accomplished the feat, and it's a wonder that the number is that large. It's
Every MLB team's most recent no-hitter
The no-hitter remains one of the most notable feats in baseball. Even if it seems like no-hitters are on the rise, there is an argument that isn't the case, and no matter how you slice it, it is one of the game's greatest achievements to get 27 or more outs
Most career leadoff HRs
Most career leadoff home runs in MLB history
The primary job of a leadoff hitter is to get on base so his teammates can drive him in. Of course, the batter atop a lineup also simply can start things off by driving himself in, too. After all, there’s no better way for an offense to open a game
Players with home run in first at-bat
The Yankees had a pair of rookies achieve the amazing feat of homering in their first at-bat, doing it in back-to-back at-bats on Aug. 13, 2016, when Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge became the first teammates in Major League history to accomplish it in a game. "It was exciting," Judge
Every member of the 3,000-hit club
The 3,000-hit club is one of the most famous, and one of the most exclusive, in all of baseball. The players who have gotten 3,000 hits in the Major Leagues are few and far between. They are legends of the game -- nearly all of the 33 members are Hall
Immaculate innings: 3 strikeouts on 9 pitches
Three up, three down, with all three batters struck out on three pitches each. While the "Immaculate Inning" isn't nearly as rare as it once was -- there were none from 1929-52 and eight alone in 2017 -- any pitcher who can plow through a big league lineup on nine
3 HRs on Opening Day? Only 4 have done it
When it comes to three-homer games, fans tend to remember the ones that happened at the end of the season. Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, Albert Pujols and Pablo Sandoval all come to mind for their tater trios in World Series play. But it may surprise you to learn that only
MLB's 3,000-strikeout club
Only the greatest pitchers in Major League history have reached 3,000 strikeouts. The club now has 19 members. Max Scherzer is the latest to join the club, recording his 3,000th career K in 2021, adding another career milestone to his three Cy Young Awards, two no-hitters and numerous other accomplishments.
A look back at every unassisted triple play
When it comes to the ultimate defensive gem, it's hard to argue against the unassisted triple play. Turning a triple play with the help of your teammates is noteworthy enough. But to record all three outs yourself -- single-handedly killing a rally in the process -- is especially rare. "It's
Players with the most walk-off HRs in history
Few plays in baseball, if any, are more exciting than a walk-off hit -- a game-ending knock that sends the home team and crowd into a frenzy. Make it a walk-off home run, and, well, that's about as thrilling as it gets. Such a dramatic event doesn't happen all that
These players hit 2 grand slams in 1 game
Two-homer games aren’t especially rare, but two grand slams in one game? As Robin Ventura put it after hitting a pair of slams for the White Sox on Sept. 4, 1995, "... it's kind of a freak thing." Ventura is one of 13 players in AL/NL history who have slugged
A-Rod's 25 grand slams stand alone
Few plays can swing a baseball game like the grand slam. It's the biggest offensive weapon in baseball, one that can clear the bases, boost the score and send the opposing pitcher into dismay with one swing of the bat. It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that some of
40-40 club: 40 steals, 40 homers in a season
Every big league manager would love the luxury of being able to pencil a 40-homer slugger and a 40-steal speed burner into their lineup. But what if the slugger and the speed burner were the same guy? That combination of power and speed are so rare that the coveted 40-40
Every 30-30 season, ranked by club
The marvel of the 30-30 club is predicated on the rare combination of speed and power it takes to swipe 30 bases and bash 30 homers in the same season. The feat has been pulled off just 62 times in baseball history, most recently by Cedric Mullins, the first player
3,000 K's is one of MLB's rarest feats
The 3,000-strikeout club, one of baseball's most exclusive, has a new member, and it's Max Scherzer. Scherzer became just the 19th pitcher to reach the 3,000-K mark, adding to this list (date of 3,000th strikeout in parentheses): Walter Johnson (July 22, 1923) Bob Gibson (July 17, 1974) Gaylord Perry (Oct.
All 30 ultimate grand slams on record
It's never over until it's over -- just ask Brewers slugger Daniel Vogelbach. Milwaukee trailed the rival Cardinals, 5-1, entering the ninth inning Sunday, but the Crew -- much as they've done all season -- refused to go quietly. The Brewers kept the line moving and loaded the bases for
Most consecutive games with a home run
In the history of Major League Baseball, only eight players have homered in at least seven straight games, the most recent of whom is Joey Votto. How difficult is it to go deep in seven straight? There have been many more 30-game hitting streaks, four-strikeout innings and six-hit games. There
Pitchers with 4 strikeouts in one inning
The number of four-strikeout frames -- made possible when a hitter takes first base after a third strike is dropped by the catcher plus either first is vacant or there are two outs -- has grown exponentially in the 21st century. While there were no such achievements by a pitcher
Players with at least 30 HR by All-Star Game
When a player approaches 30 homers at the All-Star break -- the unoffical, if not actual, midpoint of the season -- the excitement of a potential 60-plus-homer season really swings into gear. "I think it's something definitely to be proud of," said Chris Davis, who tied the American League record
Most home runs hit in each month
Even for the best sluggers in baseball, reaching 10 homers in one calendar month is a notable achievement. But 15 or more? It doesn’t happen often. 20? Only one man in MLB history has done that. Even with Kyle Schwarber's huge June so far, he still has a ways to
Gehrig is second on MLB's consecutive games list
The Major League Baseball season can be a long and grueling journey, even for players who've reached the pinnacle of the sport. It's six months of near-daily competition against the highest level of talent the game has to offer. Few players play the full 162-game slate each year, and even
Perfect games broken up in 9th or later
There have only been 23 perfect games in Major League history, but there have been several occasions in which other pitchers' names could have been etched in the history books had it not been for a hitter reaching base in the ninth inning or later. Here are the 13 most