MINNEAPOLIS — Baseball has a rich history unlike any other sport. With that history comes many records that have been set, broken and rewritten over the years. Each season provides players an opportunity to chase those records — yet some of baseball's most storied milestones may never again be touched.
So what do several Minnesota Twins hitters say about baseball's unbeatable marks? Those in the Twins' clubhouse agree that two records stand above the rest: Cal Ripken, Jr.'s streak of 2,632 consecutive games played from 1982-98, and Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941. A look at the Twins' choices between those two records and what they said:
OF Darin Mastroianni: Consecutive games streak
"I think that's the one that is going to last forever. I don't think anyone will ever break that. Obviously Joe DiMaggio's hit streak will be tough, but guys have flirted with it over the years. You just see some of these hitters, how good they are now. Not that they weren't before. But you can just see there's a chance that one could be broken at some point. But I just don't see anyone playing that many games in a row. …
"You're talking about a guy that can't get any kind of injury for 15 years. To miss one game, you really only get one shot at it. You go three years in the league and you miss a day and then you don't get another shot at breaking that record. Plus, you've got to play 15 years in the big leagues to do it. All these things add up. I don't see how anyone could ever do it again, especially now too with the amount of money guys make. If someone tweaks a hammy, they don't want to keep running them out there every single day and take a chance of a guy blowing his hamstring out and missing the whole season because he's trying to chase Cal Ripken's record."
2B Alexi Casilla: Hitting streak
"I think the hitting streak. That's tough to do it. You don't feel the same way every day. You're not going to be lucky every day. You can go 15, 20, 30 games. But as soon as you move up, the pitchers are tough. They don't want you to get ahead to keep the hitting streak going. It's tough. It's tough to go 40."
INF Jamey Carroll: Hitting streak
"I would assume the hitting streak. I think that would be the toughest one to break. … Now with pitchers throwing sinkers, cutters, sliders, throwing so many pitches, having sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth inning guys, changing pitchers and stuff like that all the time, I think that makes it difficult to be able to be consistent for that long. … You think 30 (games), that's impressive in itself. It's basically a whole month of getting a hit every day and you're still basically another month shy. And with the way the media coverage is and stuff, there's probably some more added pressure to it if you were to get closer."
3B Trevor Plouffe: Consecutive games streak
"Probably Cal Ripken's. Just because there's a lot of money invested in players. I feel like a lot of times, people are going to get days off just to make sure they're healthy, especially at the end of the season. If the teams clinch, a lot of times they want to give a guy a day just to make sure he's healthy for the playoffs. … With Cal Ripken's, first of all, you have to be able to play that long. And then you're going to get those days with a nagging injury or something. You want to be fresh and maybe save yourself. I think that's kind of become a team-first thing. ‘I'll take this day off so I can be fresh when it really counts.'"
SS Brian Dozier: Consecutive games streak
"I would say probably the Cal Ripken record, the most consecutive games played. … Playing every day is such a grind. To stay healthy for almost 3,000 games or however many it is, I can't imagine that. Then the 56-game hitting streak, I've been at 20 a couple times in the minors. It's like, ‘Wow.' That's not even half way. Just to be able to do that and stay healthy while doing it. (But) Ripken's is the most impressive. … You see a lot of guys take days off. If you think about just playing that many games in a row, you're like, ‘Well, you could do that.' But you've got to be pretty good, too, to stay in the lineup every day. Along with being healthy, you've got to actually produce for (16) straight years. It's pretty tough to do."
CF Denard Span: Hitting streak
"That's one of those records that is pretty safe. I'm pretty sure somebody will break it one day, but I don't think any time soon. … Pitching's tough. Day in and day out, you're getting these guys out here. It seems like every team has an ace and a No. 1 pitcher. Those guys, especially if you play every day, those guys don't give you much to hit. It's just tough, man, playing with the type of caliber pitching we have these days. You see more no-hitters and those things. Pitching is definitely better."
RF Ben Revere: Consecutive games streak
"Definitely Cal Ripken's. That's crazy how many games in a row he played. I'd say that's probably the one record that nobody will ever get. … Frankly, I don't know how he did it. I know he played every day. He moves around, he hit the ball well so he's running around the bases. You play so many games in a row. You think at one point late in the season, your body's so down that you need a day off. He must have done something to keep going. He's like the Energizer Bunny. There will be some guys who coaches will just see it and be like, ‘You really need it.' If a guy really wants to break that record, hopefully he doesn't hurt himself. … That's the record that's probably going to be tough to beat."
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