Beyond Perfect Games: The Rarest Feats in Baseball History
Beyond Perfect Games: The Rarest Feats in Baseball History
By Jason Bolton August 25, 2024 21:04
The sport of baseball has an amazing history riddled with remarkable successes alongside some bizarre statistical oddities. In the grand scheme of things, a perfect game is higher on the hierarchy or pitching dominance than most accomplishments, but there are plenty more that we tend to overlook. This article will dive deeper into some of baseball's rarest, most amazing accomplishments beyond your standard perfect game or no-hitter, looking at those moments that still leave us talking for years and even decades later.
The Elusive Natural Cycle
One of the rarest offensive feats in baseball is known as hitting for the natural cycle. Although hitting for the cycle is an achievement in and of itself, as it requires a single, double, triple, or home run to be hit during that game, but its considerably harder if you have to get those hits in order.
Only 13 players in have hit the natural cycle since 1900. The latest was in 2006 when Gary Matthews Jr. of the Texas Rangers did it against the Detroit Tigers. Just to emphasize the rarity of this feat, it has happened less often than a perfect game 23 times in MLB history.
Unassisted Triple Play
Defensive plays can be just as spectacular and are equally rare, even though they do not have quite the same excitement that drives crowds. The unassisted triple play is one of the rarest defensive feats in baseball history.
There have been merely 15 unassisted triple plays in MLB history since 1900. Achieving this perfect confluence of on-a-run, line-drive glove flip to the keystone heads-up is why a Triple Play remains an exceptionally odd play.
Eric Bruntlett of the Philadelphia Phillies turned an unassisted triple play against the New York Mets on August 23, 2009, and it has been at least one since then. It led to a walk-off play that ended the game in one of the most exciting finishes ever.
Four Home Runs in One Game
Home runs have become a dime a dozen in the game today, but four home run games are still incredibly rare. This feat has been accomplished by only 18 players in the past 24 years.
The last time it happened was on June 13, 2017, when Scooter Gennett with the Cincinnati Reds hit four home runs against the St. Louis Cardinals. Even more remarkable about Gennett is that he had hit just 38 home runs through five seasons of his career entering that game.
The batter must have an outstanding day at the plate and also be lucky enough to face pitchers who are scuffling or making mistakes. Plus, the situation in the game still needs to allow for four at-bats, and a lot can go wrong if the opponent walks him intentionally later.
The 20-Strikeout Game
Roger Clemens did it first in 1986 and repeated the feat in 1996. The record was tied by Kerry Wood in 1998 and Randy Johnson in 2001. The only two other members of this exclusive group, then-2016 Max Scherzer, and most recently Chris Sale in 2019.
For pitchers to strike out 20, they need dominance every second of the ballgame. The dominant level that Maddux and Glavine pitched in occurs quite often throughout baseball history but lasts only five or six innings at a time, never nine straight innings. The pitcher needs to possess amazing stuff and maintain it for the full nine innings. Unlike a perfect game or no-hitter where weak contact can lead to outs, a 20-strikeout game requires the pitcher to consistently overpower with velocity or pitch selection.
The Immaculate Inning
Perhaps not as rare as some of the other achievements listed above, immaculate innings are still a sight to see. In all of MLB history, there have only been 104 such instances as recently as 2021. Therein lies the intrigue of this accomplishment, as it has become increasingly common in recent years, which can probably be attributed to how modern baseball emphasizes strikeouts.
The perfect inning is rare because it requires absolute perfection in a very brief moment. Every pitch must not only be in the strike zone but also result in a swing and miss or sound third strikes. An errant swing or a foul ball breaks the sequence and prevents this mini-perfect game from coming to fruition.
Two Grand Slams in One Inning
Arguably, baseball's most statistically unlikely feat is hitting two grand slams in an inning. The feat has only been completed once in MLB history.
It is a rare event because it requires many things to go right, on and off the field. It requires a batter to come up twice in the same inning, rare enough, and then only with runners at all bases on both occasions. But the hitter also has to be good and lucky enough to put one out in that situation and then a second time as well.
The Beauty Of Baseball
The sport of baseball has been around for some time, and historians have recorded the stats so we can learn about these unique accomplishments by first understanding them. They run the gamut from hitting for the cycle to turning an unassisted triple play, four-homer games, and 20-strikeout performances, representing individual excellence at its highest level in baseball.
As rare as they are, what makes these feats so miraculous is that they take an alignment of skill and opportunity, sometimes even a bit of luck. Baseball is humanizing: it shows guys doing stupid things out there, too, and it reminds us that nobody knows what the hell baseball will be like on any given day.
Fewer than perfect games, these accomplishments are a testament to baseball players' extraordinary skill and, indeed, to the sport 120 years later. These moments rise above the ordinary, inscribing themselves into history and our memories as fans fortunate enough to have been there for them.
SHOP Mystery Signed Memorabilia
-
Mystery Signed Football 8x10 Photo
- Regular price
- $29.99
- Regular price
-
- Sale price
- $29.99
- Unit price
- per
-
Mystery Signed Baseball Jersey
- Regular price
- $69.99
- Regular price
-
- Sale price
- $69.99
- Unit price
- per
-
Mystery Signed Football Jersey
- Regular price
- $69.99
- Regular price
-
- Sale price
- $69.99
- Unit price
- per
-
Mystery Signed Baseball 8x10 Photo
- Regular price
- $29.99
- Regular price
-
- Sale price
- $29.99
- Unit price
- per
LATEST
- NEWS
- |
- ARTICLES
- |
- VIDEOS
FAN ARCH PODCAST NETWORK
