3,000

It typically takes 20 years of consistent excellence for a baseball player to reach the coveted milestone of 3,000 hits or strikeouts. Some of the great players to accomplish this feat are well-known: Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, Walter Johnson, Nolan Ryan. But who are the other men who’ve reached that epic 3,000 milestone?
This book goes into detail about each of these players, describing how each player collected his historic hit or strikeout and how old he was at the time. Discover the pitchers who gave up a 3,000th hit and the victims of a 3,000th strikeout. Determine where these players were born and the stadiums where the events took place. This book covers the near-miss men—the ones who almost made it to the milestone—and predict which players might reach 3,000 hits or strikeouts next. This comprehensive volume tracks all players who have reached this impressive achievement, all who missed it by a hair, and some who might be poised to claim the title.

Douglas J. Jordan is a retired college professor living in Northern California. His baseball articles have been published in the Baseball Research Journal and NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture.

Douglas J. Jordan
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 232
Bibliographic Info: 36 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9628-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5461-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi

Preface 1

Introduction 5

Part I—Analysis of Players with 3,000 Hits 7

 1. A First Look at the Hitters 8

 2. Awards 13

 3. How Frequently Does a Player Reach 3,000 Hits? 18

 4. A Closer Look at the Hitters 25

 5. Handedness 28

 6. Age 31

 7. Franchises and Teams 37

 8. Type of Hit 49

 9. The Pitchers 56

10. The Stadiums 64

11. Birthplaces and Birthdays 75

12. Age and Game Number of 3,000th Hit 85

13. Close, but No Cigar 99

14. Who’s Next to 3,000 Hits? 107

Part II—Analysis of Pitchers with 3,000 Strikeouts 115

15. Who Are the Pitchers? 117

16. How Frequently Does a Player Reach 3,000 Strikeouts? 120

17. Age 153

18. Franchises and Teams 156

19. The 3,000th Strikeout Hitters 163

20. The Stadiums 168

21. Birthdays and Birthplaces 176

22. Age and Game Number at 3,000th Strikeout 183

23. Close, but No Cigar 188

24. Who’s Next to 3,000 Strikeouts? 196

Chapter Notes 207

Bibliography 215

Index 217