Major League Baseball's Unbreakable Numbers

Immediately following his appearance on ESPN's First Take, in the midst of a 30-game hitting streak, Ryan Zimmerman proceeded to go 0-for-3 in the Washington Nationals' 6-3 win over the San Francisco Giants, thus ending his run at history.

Zimmerman became yet another player to threaten Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, but in doing so, he only reminded us once again what an achievement 56 straight games with a base knock was and still is.  

Every year, someone gets in the high twenties, and every so often even the low thirties. But they all fall to match Joe's mark. Their failures, in turn, become a testament to DiMaggio's success.

In a sport that puts so much emphasis on numbers, 56 seems unbreakable.    

In the modern era, only Pete Rose has gotten close; he reached 44 games in 1978. Paul Molitor hit for 39 consecutive games in 1987 before being stopped. Most recently, Jimmy Rollins reached 38 games over two seasons in 2005-2006.

Solid stuff, but no one even gets to 50.  

When you consider that DiMaggio hit .408 over his stretch with 15 HR and 55 RBI, it's awfully hard to imagine someone from this era remaining focused for that long. With media coverage the way it is, the pressure seems too much. Fifty-six games means a man must stay in the zone a long time.

Of course, 56 is nothing in comparison to 2,632.  

In 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. became the ultimate "Iron Man" when he surpassed Lou Gehrig for consecutive games played at 2,131. Ripken eventually settled at 2,632, covering 16 years in the process. For his career, Cal finished with a .276 average, 431 HR and 3,184 hits. He played a combined 3,001 games, with the majority being at the shortstop position, which, aside from catcher, may be the toughest on the diamond.  

Will 2,632 be tested? Currently, no active player tops 1,000; to reach the milestone, an individual would have to complete 16-plus seasons all with, most likely, the same team. It wouldn't seem practical to shuffle someone of that stature from team to team.

With this in mind, Ripken's feat could become the most unbreakable of them all.

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