Major League Baseball

Top five baseball milestones of 2015 season

Published Aug. 7, 2015 10:10 a.m. ET

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By Alex Vetter

History is made on the baseball diamond every single day. From five hits in a game to 15 strikeout games -- the ways to make history are endless. In 2015, history has been made by the best of the best. Some of these milestones are so rare, they solidify the player’s baseball immortality.

The five biggest milestones in baseball so far this season.

5. Chris Heston, Max Scherzer, and Cole Hamels Throw No-Hitters

Chris Heston also made headlines by hitting a batter, or should I say three batters. Heston threw a no-hitter against the New York Mets and hit three batters -- the most ever in a no-hitter. The 2015 season is the fourth straight year the San Francisco Giants have had a pitcher throw a no-hitter. Heston is a rookie at 27 years old, and the first rookie to throw a no-no since Clay Buchholz did so with the Boston Red Sox in 2007. Heston is now 11-6 with a 3.48 ERA in 22 starts this year. His numbers align him with some of the best young pitchers in the game. His no-hitter is something he will never forget, but now he wants baseball to never forget him. 

Max Scherzer was one out away from a perfect game. Jose Tabata of the Pittsburgh Pirates stepped up to the plate and took a slider off of his elbow. Many people say Tabata leaned in, but what matters is what the umpire called: a hit by pitch. Perfection was taken by a mis-thrown slider. Scherzer recorded the next out, obtaining his first ever no-hitter. Over two consecutive starts, Scherzer allowed just one hit. His performance in his first season in Washington after signing a 7-year, $210 million contract has been fantastic. In 22 games, he has pitched 156 innings and has a 2.31 ERA. He is in contention for the Cy Young Award. The Washington Nationals invested a lot of money in him. So far, he has been worth it. 

Cole Hamels threw a no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs -- the first time the Cubs had been no-hit since 1965. This was Hamels’ last start for the Philadelphia Phillies before he was traded to the Texas Rangers. The only other pitchers to throw a no-hitter and be traded before their next start are Edwin Jackson in 2010 and Cliff Chambers in 1951. With this gem, Hamels increased his value on the trade market. The Phillies sent Hamels to Texas, where he hopes to lead the Rangers to the playoffs this year. With the third no-hitter of the year in the books, we can only hope for more to come.  

4. Huston Street Records 300th Career Save 

At 31 years old, Huston Street became the second-youngest player to record his 300th save (Francisco Rodriguez is the youngest). Only 27 players have ever recorded 300 career saves. In the history of baseball, only five relief pitchers have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, though Mariano Rivera cannot be elected until 2019, and Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner will be on the ballot for the first time this year. At some point, there should be at least eight relief pitchers in the Hall of Fame. Of those eight, seven are members of the 300-saves club. By reaching 300 saves at such a young age, Street is giving himself a legitimate shot at reaching baseball’s greatest honor. With 300 down, he needs a little more than 350 to break Rivera’s record. 

3. Felix Hernandez Becomes The Fourth Youngest Player to Strikeout 2,000 Batters 

Only 16 pitchers have ever struck out 3,000 batters in their career. Of those players, only Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens are not in the Hall of Fame. King Felix is two-thirds of the way there and he is still only 29 years old. Only three pitchers have reached 2,000 strikeouts at a younger age than Hernandez -- Walter Johnson, Bert Blyleven, and Sam McDowell. Hernandez is the second Seattle Mariners pitcher to reach 2,000 strikeouts, joining Randy Johnson. 

Hernandez’s first great accomplishment came in 2010 when he won the Cy Young Award. Now, he eyes the grandeur of 3,000. If King Felix can maintain his career average of 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings and pitch 200 innings per year on average, he should be able to reach 3,000 strikeouts before he turns 35. In order to be the youngest to 3,000, he will need to average over 200 Ks per year for the next four years because Nolan Ryan reached 3,000 at 33 years and 154 days old. King Felix is well on his way to Cooperstown. 

2. Adrian Beltre Hits for Third Career Cycle 

Three cycles in a career can’t be that big of a deal right? Wrong. Adrian Beltre became just the fourth player in baseball history to hit for the cycle three times. The last player to hit for three career cycles was Babe Herman in 1933. The other two player with three cycles are Bob Meusel in 1928 and John Reilly in 1890. Yes, 82 years since this last happened. Mind-blowing. To cap off this already incredible accomplishment, he hit for the cycle in the 5th inning. Only five other players have hit for the cycle by the fifth inning since 1961. 

Here is another remarkable thing about Beltre’s three cycles: his first cycle came in 2008, and he has nine total triples between 2008 and now. One-third of Beltre’s triples in the past seven years coincide with a cycle. That is incredible. Beltre is a borderline Hall of Fame player, and this adds to his bid for glory.  

1. Alex Rodriguez Records 3,000th Hit, Drives In 2,000th RBI, and Moves to Fourth Place On Career Home Runs List 

Alex Rodriguez is one of the most controversial players in all of sports. He cheated. That is a fact. Does his use of PEDs negate all of his milestones? No. Just because someone uses PEDs does not mean he will automatically be a better player. It still takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be one of the best players in the game. Rodriguez was punished with a 162-game suspension. Now, we should recognize him for his unbelievable talent. 

The 3,000-hit club: Rodriguez became the 29th player to achieve this feat. Of those other 28 players, only three are not in the Hall of Fame -- Pete Rose, Derek Jeter (he will be in 2020), and Rafael Palmeiro. Among all of all the players suspecting of using steroids (Palmeiro, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and many others), A-Rod is only the second player to reach 3,000 hits. Even with steroids, 3,000 is impressive. 

The 2,000-RBI club: Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Cap Anson, and Alex Rodriguez. Four players in baseball history have reached this mark. Here is the thing to remember: No other suspected steroid user has achieved this. In a group of cheaters, A-Rod is in a class of his own. If A-Rod has at least three more solid years, he will become the all-time leader in RBI. Based upon his performance this year, he is trending in the right direction. 

678 Home Runs: A-Rod is in fourth place all-time after passing Willie Mays. Yes, 678 times, A-Rod has circled the bases in his career. Eighty-five more times, and he will be the home run king. Home runs have long been associated with steroid use; Barry Bonds is the home run king at 762. With pitching dominating more and more every year, it seems 800 is now out of everyone’s reach. Before A-Rod’s late-career injuries and year-long suspension, many believed he would be the first player to ever reach 800. This is no longer likely, but with a strong finish this year and three 25-homer seasons after that, first place is certainly in reach. Love him or hate him, his career numbers standout to unprecedented levels. 

From no-hitters to 500 home runs, what MLB players achieve on a yearly basis is incredible. The 2015 season has seen many records broken, and we can only hope that more are to come. When the past and present collide, baseball is at its best.

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