MLB: Hardest thing to do in baseball

What is most difficult thing to do in baseball?


  • Total voters
    145

cyhiphopp

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
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Ankeny
He came back for the most part after that but I'll never forgive Dusty Baker for the damage he did to the Cubs organization. I hope he chokes on his toothpick.

I still wish we could have seen Mark Prior get to his prime. Wasn't it a stupid injury running the bases that did him in?
 

Clark

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2009
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Altoona
Yeah that was his first injury. I know Keith Law credits Baker forcing him to pitch after he was obviously tired in 2003 to blowing out his shoulder. I tend to agree with him, especially since Kerry Wood was never the same after that either. Carlos Zambrano's career was probably not helped by pitching that many innings at that age either but he's crazy as hell so people just overlook that one.
 

Clonefan94

Well-Known Member
Oct 18, 2006
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Schaumburg, IL
Yeah that was his first injury. I know Keith Law credits Baker forcing him to pitch after he was obviously tired in 2003 to blowing out his shoulder. I tend to agree with him, especially since Kerry Wood was never the same after that either. Carlos Zambrano's career was probably not helped by pitching that many innings at that age either but he's crazy as hell so people just overlook that one.

Baker was definitely going for broke that year, maybe the entire Cubs organization and even the players were behind it as well. I remember saying to my wife a couple of times that year that I didn't see how Wood and Prior would hold up. I just wonder if they all thought, from top to bottom, "Let's just throw it all out there. If we pull this off, we'll be Gods." and they probably would have been.
 

IcSyU

Well-Known Member
Nov 27, 2007
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You dont get lucky

The hell you don't. You can hit the cover off the ball and line out to the shortstop making a great play. Then your next at bat hit a lazy pitching wedge off the end of the bat and get a double out of it.

Mark Buehrle? is lucky DeWayne Wise saved his perfect game by taking away a home run ball.
 

enisthemenace

Well-Known Member
Dec 5, 2009
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Runnells, IA
I'm struggling with this one. I voted for 20Ks, but none of the 5 in history ended up being no-hitters/perfect games. When Kerry Wood struck out 20, he only gave up one very questionable hit (still think that was an error). He was throwing wiffle balls that day.
 

RayShimley

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2008
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White Bear Lake, MN
Not the hardest, but here is something that should probably be added to any "hardest to do" list:

stealing 2nd, 3rd, and Home in the same inning.

Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner both did it 4 times! Still the AL and NL record.

Stealing Second, Third, And Home Plate in the Same Inning

Edit: Sidenote - First Base has only been stolen once in history:

It is a baseball saying that "you can't steal first base", so it is perhaps surprising that it has been done, at least once. On August 4, 1911, Herman A. "Germany" Schaefer was on first base and another runner was on third. Schaefer stole second in an unsuccessful attempt to draw a throw so the other runner could steal home. Since this didn't work, he returned to first base--"stealing" first from second--so that he could try again. It has also been reported that he did this in an earlier game, but the report is unconfirmed.

It wasn't until 1920 that the rules were changed so that a runner could not relinquish a base that he had safely reached.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Has_anyone_ever_stolen_1st_base_in_a_baseball_game#ixzz1uP02IgXY
 

tm3308

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2010
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He's gotten shelled every start since his perfect game. To throw a perfect game, you have to have an extreme amount of luck. Obviously it takes a lot of skill but it probably take more luck than any of the other ones listed.

I don't know, a guy has to get pretty damn lucky to call his shot and not get one put in his ear hole.
 

akclone

Well-Known Member
Bookie
Nov 28, 2006
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It's not hard to hit 4 home runs in one game by one player, however the opportunity seldom presents itself. Power hitters tend to get walked more and the quality of pitches they see is not good. I think this is why it has happened so few times. If pitchers would just fall in line and pitch over the plate all the time and not walk anyone we would see more 4 HR games.
 

CyCy

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2006
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I was at Milwaukee in 2002 when Shawn Green of the Dodgers hit 4 home runs. He also had a double and single for a major league record 19 total bases in one game.
 

Cy$

Well-Known Member
Sep 1, 2011
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Ames
I don't know, a guy has to get pretty damn lucky to call his shot and not get one put in his ear hole.

I had a rivalry with the guy I was talking about in my previous post. He initially threw at me. Then I pointed out and he threw a fastball down the middle. I crushed it. Sweet Victory for CyCash. If it was on ellen it would have been better but pretty sweet story anyway.:smile: