Last updated on June 15th, 2023
62. Edwin Jackson holds the record for the MLB player who has played for the most franchises with 14. He has played for the Rays, Cubs, Nationals, Tigers, White Sox, Diamondbacks, A’s, Cardinals, Dodgers, Padres, Braves, Marlins, Orioles, and Blue Jays.[i]
63. Cuba has won the most Baseball World Cup medals with a total of 31, 25 of which are gold. The United States only has 4 gold medals and a total medal tally of 15.[i]
64. MLB umpires are required to wear black underwear. This is in case the unlikely scenario occurs where they split their pants.[i]
65. The Dodgers, Yankees, and, Angels still have no official mascots. The Cubs only had an official mascot starting from 2014.[i]
Facts About Baseball Bat
1. In 1890, Emile Kinst, and inventor, patented a baseball bat design with a curve near the end. This “banana bat” was designed to make both hitting and catching a hit ball more difficult. The Major League Rules Committee rejected Kinst’s design.[i]
2. The Louisville Slugger baseball bat was named after early baseball great Pete Browning. Hall of Famer Honus Wagner became the first MLB player to endorse a bat with his signature when he signed a deal with Louisville Slugger maker Hillerich & Bradsby in 1905.[i]
3. William Shroyer filed Patent No. 1,499,128 for the design of the first metal bat in 1924. However, it took decades for a metal bat to be mass-produced, with Worth Sports Company being the first to manufacture aluminum bats in 1970.[i]
4. Aluminum bats are banned from the Major League. This is due to the fact that aluminum bats can make a hit ball travel about 10% farther compared to the wooden bat that the majors use.[i]
5. MLB Rule 3.02 states that the bat should be a round and smooth stick that should not exceed 42 inches in length and made from a single piece of wood. The MLB Rules committee oversees which bat designs are allowed for play as well as any exceptions to Rule 3.02 (d) which states that no colored bats may be used in professional play unless approved by the Rules Committee.[i,s]
6. Contrary to belief, corked bats do not increase the distance hit. A corked bat has had a hole drilled into it and filled with less dense materials to make the bat lighter overall, which allows for a faster swing. However, this also weakens the bat, making it prone to breakage.[i]
7. Corking a bat is illegal in the MLB. Only 6 players have been caught and penalized for using a corked bat since 1970.[i]
8. The largest replica baseball bat in the world can be found outside the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory in Louisville Kentucky. The bat weighs 68,000 pounds and is 120 ft. tall.[i]
Facts About Famous Baseball Players
1. Babe Ruth
Baseball great Babe Ruth started his professional career as a pitcher. As a pitcher, he once threw a 14-inning complete game to beat the Dodgers, the most innings ever thrown by one pitcher in a single postseason game. Among the numerous records Babe Ruth set, were his .690 slugging record is one that is deemed unbreakable. He is part of the Baseball Immortals, being among the first inductees into Baseball’s Hall of Fire.[i]
2. Barry Bonds
Bonds holds the record for most MVPs (7), most career (762) and single season (73) home runs, and most walks in a single season (232). He is a 14-time All-Star and 12-time Silver Slugger award. He has the most home runs after turning 40 with 74. He has had 18 consecutive games as the host.[i]
3. Hank Aaron
Hank “the Hammer” Aaron holds the most runs batted in (RBIs) with 2297 for his entire career. He was the first to break Babe Ruth’s home run record when he hit his 715th career home run in 1974.[i]
4. Willie Mays
The Say Hey kid is tied for the most All-star appearances at 24. He holds 12 Gold Gloves awards. Mays is a two-time NL MVP. He has the distinction of hitting at least one home run in every one of the sixteen innings.[i]
5. Cy Young
Cy Young holds the most number of games started with 815 and most career innings pitched with 7356. He is also the pitcher that holds the most MLB losses with 315. The Cy Young awards are given every year to the best pitcher that year.[i]
6. Mike Trout
Widely considered as one of the greatest baseball players ever, Mike Trout is a professed weather nerd. He says that aside from baseball, meteorology is something he is interested inn. He holds the distinction as the first and only player to make 30 home runs, steal 45 bases, and score 125 runs in one season.[i]
7. Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb, nicknamed the Georgia Peach, was one of the first players to be inducted in baseball’s hall of fame. He holds the highest career batting average with .366. He also holds the most batting titles with 12. He is regarded as the first player in MLB history to receive a 5-digit salary (1913). He spent 22 years with a single franchise, the Detroit Tigers. He had the rank of Captain in the United States Army Chemical Warfare Service.[i]
8. Ted Williams
Ted Williams is known as the last MLB player to bat over .400 in a season. He was called up during World War 2 as a pilot. He flew 39 missions during the Korean War as a Marine fighter pilot. Astronaut John Glenn was a fellow squadron member of his.[i]
9. Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinsons’s accomplishments as the first African-American player to play in the major leagues during the Modern era of baseball were so recognized that the league retired his jersey number 42 across all major league teams in 1997. His brother, Mack Robinson, has an Olympic silver medal. Jackie is not the first African-American in the league. That honors belongs Moses Fleetwood Walker who played for the league together with his brother. Jackie Robinson played himself in an autobiographical movie.[i]
10. Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens has won the Cy Young award a record 7 times. He has the third-most strikeouts in major league baseball with 4,672 strikeouts. He has won the World Series two times and is an 11-time All-Star.[i]
11. Honus Wagner
One of the first five inductees to baseball’s hall of fame, Honus Wagner was called “The Flying Dutchman” as an ode to his athleticism and German heritage, as well as to the fact that he shares the same last name as the Flying Dutchman opera composer Richard Wagner. He has won 8 batting titles, sharing the record with Tony Gwynn. Only 57 copies of the T206 Honus Wagner baseball card exist, making his baseball cards one of the rarest.[i]
12. Stan Musial
Outfielder Stan “the Man” Musial is widely considered as one of the best hitters in baseball history. He held 17 baseball records when he retired in 1963 and was the first player to record 5 home runs in a doubleheader. He has been an All-Star 24 times and is a three-time World Series champion. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.[i]
13. Walter Johnson
Walter Johnson is known for having the most shutouts with 110. He is second in terms of wins with 417 and is known as the only player to have over 400 wins while striking out more than 3500 batters.[i]
14. Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez holds the record for the most grand slams with 25. He is also the youngest person to hit 500 career home runs at 32 years and 8 days. He has been dating singer Jennifer Lopez since 2017.[i]
15. Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter has played in 158 career postseason games. He is the only shortstop to win 5 world series titles. He has both the most hits and the most games played by a New York Yankee player. However, he has never won a regular season MVP award.
16. Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki holds the record for the most hits in a season with 262 when he broke George Sisler’s record of 257 in 2004. He is also the only player to have 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons. In the MLB, he has the most hits by a Japanese player.[i]
17. Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols holds the league’s all-time record for most times grounded into a double play with 395. He is a 10-time MLB All Star and a 3-time National League MVP. He has the most assists by a player within a single season with 185 which he made during the 2009 season.[i]
18. Miguel Cabrera
Miguel “Miggy” Cabrera is the first Latin American as well as the first third baseman to win a Triple Crown. He is a native of Venezuela, where his father was an amateur baseball player while his mother represented the country in softball as a shortstop.[i]
19. Ryan Howard
Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard holds the record for the fewest games played to reach 100 career home runs with 325. He has the most strikeouts by a Phillies batter with 199. He is also fastest player to reach 1,000 RBI, 100 home runs, and 200 home runs.[i]
20. Zack Greinke
Pitcher Zack Grienke suffers from social anxiety. He has won six Gold Gloves. He was the third high school player drafted by the Royals.[i]
21. Chipper Jones
Chipper Jones has the most career RBI for a third baseman with 1623. As a switch hitter, he is the only one in MLB history to have recorded a career batting average of at least .300 in 400 or more home runs.[i]
22. Joey Votto
First baseman Joey Votto is the Cincinatti Reds single season leader in OPS with .969 in 2018, walks with 135 in 2013, and times on base with 316 in 2013.[i]
23. Manny Ramirez
Manny Ramirez holds the record for most postseason home runs with 29. Manny is also a 12-time All-Star and has been awarded the Silver Slugger award 9 times. He was the World Series MVP in 2004.[i]
24. Adrian Gonzalez
Adrian Gonzales was the first overall pick in the 2000 MLB draft. He is a 5-time All-Star and a 4-time winner of the Gold Gloves. He also currently holds the record for most consecutive multi-walk games with 8.[i]
25. Joe Mauer
Minnessota Twins player Joe Mauer holds the distinction of being the only catcher to win 3 batting titles. He was the cover player for MLB 10 and MLB 11 on Playstation.[i]
26. Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander was the AL rookie of the year in 2006. He has made 8 All-star nods and has won the world series.[i]
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