Broken Records

How do you kill two hours of time on a lazy summer afternoon at the office, after all your daily responsibilities are finished, after you've watched the Red Sox day game against the Kansas City Royals (1-0 Boston victory), and with nothing remotely associated with work left to do?

If you're working in this office, you talk baseball.

There are seven ways to reach first base safely. What are they?
(answers below)

There are nine ways to score from third base. What are they?
(answers below)


Will someone bat over .400 in the regular season before someone breaks DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak? Will either mark ever be reached?

To that, I say no. Ted Williams was the last to hit over .400 for an entire season (.406 in 1941). Ichiro Suzuki is the game's best (most consistent, most technically proficient, most serious?) hitter, and his highest average in his first five seasons with the Mariners was .372.

DiMaggio's record won't be broken either, the game today features too many specialty pitchers, advance scouting, and better defense. Most recently Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies carried a 38 game hitting streak over two seasons. DiMaggio's single-season record is safe.

What other records out there are ready to be broken? Are there other numbers that will never be bested? Can anyone say for sure?

That last question is rhetorical. It's why baseball discussions among baseball fans are so interesting, and why they can eat up two hours of unstructured time - no one will ever know until it happens. But there are always two things you can count on: the anticipation that comes when someone makes a run at a record, and the discussion that goes with it.

-t

reach first safely:
1. hit
2. error
3. fielder's choice
4. base-on-balls
5. hit-by-pitch
6. dropped third strike
7. catcher's interference

score from third:
1. hit
2. error
3. fielder's choice
4. base-on-balls with bases loaded
5. hit-by-pitch with bases loaded
6. steal
7. balk
8. sacrifice
9. wild pitch