Unbelievable MLB Records: The Jaw-Dropping Hit Streaks That Defied Baseball History

Ichiro finished with over 200 hits in 10 straight seasons between 2001-10 and became only the seventh player to end up with 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases for his career.

Burnett, a shortstop who hit .284 with 521 career hits over nine seasons, became the first player to have at least seven hits in a game that day.

Pete Browning of the Louisville Colonels and Tip O’Neill of the St. Louis Browns hold the all-time single-season mark, with Denny Lyons of the Philadelphia Athletics fifth on the list because of their performance during the apparently hit-happy 1887 season.

Along with Hall of Fame ballplayer Ty Cobb (4,191), he’s one of only two players in the 4,000-hit club.  

Charlie Hustle had 10 200-hit seasons, but he never had more than three in a row. (We mentioned earlier that Ichiro had 10 straight 200-hit seasons from 2001-10. He finished with 4,367 hits if you include his 1,278 over nine years in Japan.)

But four games? Five days? Cleveland’s Johnny Burnett only needed one to record his modern-day, big league-record nine hits, though it came over 11 at-bats and 18 innings in a wild 18-17 loss to the Philadelphia Athletics on July 10, 1932.

Most Hits in a Game: 9 – Johnny Burnett, 1932

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Since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941, only Tony Gwynn (.394, 1994), George Brett (.390, 1980), Williams (.388, 1957), Rod Carew (.388, 1977), Larry Walker (.379, 1999) and Stan Musial (.376, 1948) have posted a higher batting average than the .372 Ichiro hit in 2004.

In 2014, Jeter ended up sixth on the all-time regular-season list with 3,465 hits – still nearly 800 away from fellow perennial All-Star Pete Rose’s historic mark of 4,256 set from 1963-86.

Most Hits in a Season: 262 – Ichiro Suzuki, 2004 (Modern-Day Record)

First, let’s finish our thought on the most hits in a game. The performances by Burnett, Colavito (22 innings), Gutierrez (12) and Crawford (14) all came in extra-inning contests. So what’s the record for hits in a nine-inning affair?

Hank Aaron is the only one in the top 10 to reach both 3,000-hit and 500-home run milestones. Of course, he finished with 755 homers and Musial’s 475 is second among this group.

But what about the most hits in a playoff game? In a season? In a career? Well, we’ve delved into the history books to bring you the answers to those questions and more.

Of course, Ichiro Suzuki holds that modern-day record, breaking George Sisler’s 83-year-old standard during his remarkable 2004 season with the Seattle Mariners.

Most Hits in a Career: 4,256 – Pete Rose, 1963-86

The record holders for most hits in a game, season and career in MLB history aren’t the most popular players. But for a day, season or career in Pete Rose’s case, they certainly knew how to hit it where they ain’t.

Stennett holds the record, going 7 for 7 with two doubles and a triple in a 22-0 rout at Wrigley Field on Sept. 16, 1975.

Franco had gone nine for his first 13 at-bats for the Tampa Bay Rays and the relatively unknown Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians caught everyone’s attention by going 9 for 13 over the first five-day stretch of the lockout-delayed campaign.   

Since then, Rocky Colavito and Cesar Gutierrez of the Detroit Tigers, Rennie Stennett of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brandon Crawford of the San Francisco Giants have all joined the club.

After their first four games of the 2022 season, Wander Franco and Steven Kwan were leading Major League Baseball in hits.

Ever notice how the biggest hitters in Major League Baseball’s history—the record holders for most hits in a game, a season, or even an entire career—aren’t exactly household names? It’s kind of mind-boggling, right? You’d think those who could practically place the ball anywhere at will would be the legends everyone cheers for every night. Yet, apart from Pete Rose, the “Charlie Hustle” himself, many of these batting maestros enjoyed their glory days without the fanfare. Take Johnny Burnett, for example—nine hits in one marathon game back in 1932! That’s like threading a needle blindfolded… eleven at-bats over eighteen innings, mind you. And what about Ichiro Suzuki smashing the modern single-season hit record in 2004 with 262 hits? Oh, and Rose’s staggering 4,256 career hits, a number so lofty it makes most other records look like child’s play. This article dives into these curious quirks and jaw-dropping feats of batting brilliance—because sometimes, the stories behind the stats are even juicier than the numbers themselves. Ready to unpack the enigmas of MLB’s best hitters? LEARN MORE

Arguably Rose’s best season came in 1969 with the Cincinnati Reds. He hit .348 with 33 doubles, 11 triples, 16 home runs and 82 RBIs, and won his first of two Gold Glove Awards in the outfield.