Special Sub-Topic: I Almost Broke the Record! Click Here To Play: I Almost Broke the Record!

Nap Lajoie of the Philadelphia Athletics set a 20th century record for batting .426 in 1901. There was only one player in the century to come close by hitting .424. Who was this that almost stood at the top?

Rogers Hornsby. None of the others ever batted .400. Hornsby hit .424 in 1924 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Hornsby had three .400+ seasons in his career, and retired with a lifetime average of an amazing .358 in 1937.

In 1887, Hugh Nicol of the Cincinnati Red Stockings set an almost unreachable record of stealing 138 bases in a season. Almost 100 years later, who stole 130 and came close to topping Nicol?

Rickey Henderson. Amazingly enough, Nicol stole his 138 in a 135-game season. Henderson of the Oakland Athletics stole his 130 in a 162-game season in 1982.

Pete Alexander set a record for throwing 16 shutouts in a season in 1916 with the Philadelphia Phillies. This pitcher came pretty close in 1968 when he threw 13 of his own. Which pitcher was it?

Bob Gibson. The others never threw 10 shutouts in a season. Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals went 22-9, winning the NL MVP and NL Cy Young award for his efforts.

In 1886, Matt Kilroy of the Baltimore Orioles with the American Association set an unprecedented record of 513 strikeouts in a season. Through over 100 years of baseball in any league, he was still the only pitcher to reach the 500-plateau. Who was the first pitcher in the 20th century to reach the 400-plateau for strikeouts in a season?

Nobody did. Before the turn of the 19th century, only five other pitchers would reach the 400-plateau for strikeouts. No pitcher in the 20th century would reach this tremendous milestone. Sandy Koufax struck out 382 batters in 1965, then Nolan Ryan would top all pitchers in the century with his 383 in 1973 with the Angels.

In 2006, 21 baseball greats shared the record for hitting four doubles in one game. In 2006 I hit four also, but was just one away from sitting on top of the heap on my own. Who am I?

Matt Murton. On August 3, Murton of the Chicago Cubs hit four doubles in one game to join the elite group of many who were tied for the record. Matt hit 22 in the season, his second season with the Cubs and the Major Leagues.

I took a lot of bruises in the 1971 season by being hit with a pitch 50 times. I fell one bruise short of tying the all-time record of Hughie Jennings who was hit 51 times in 1896. Who am I?

Ron Hunt. Jennings was hit 287 times in his 17 seasons, ending in 1918. Hunt was hit 243 times in 12 seasons. When Ron went through his bruising season, he was a Montreal Expo.

The New York Mets set a record for losing 120 in their inaugural season in 1962. Which team came the closest to breaking this record, without putting their name in the record books?

Detroit Tigers. The Mets were dismal in their early seasons. They also lost 111 in 1963, but surpassed that with 112 losses in 1965. Both the Expos and Padres lost 110 in 1969. The Arizona Diamondbacks went 51-111 in 2004. However, it was the Detroit Tigers who went 43-119 in 2003 to almost set the new record. Pitcher Mike Maroth led the team with nine wins, but also lost 21 in the season.

In 2004, Adam Dunn of the Cincinnati Reds set a new season record for striking out 195 times in the season. Who came close to breaking this record in 2006 by striking out 194 times?

Adam Dunn. Dunn was in his sixth season with the Reds in 2006. In 2004, Adam broke the season record of 189 set by Bobby Bonds in 1970. He almost surpassed his own record with another 194 in 2006, leading the league for the third consecutive season for being whiffed.

If I could have hit just one more home run in my career, I would not have retired being tied with the great Ted Williams at 521. No regrets though as I still the 1959 NL Rookie of the Year and 1969 NL MVP. Who am I?

Willie McCovey. McCovey played all his 22 seasons with three California teams, mostly the Giants. The familiar number 44 donned his back as he was a terror combined with the bat of Willie Mays. 'Stretch' retired in 1980, then was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.

Although losing the World Series in 1906, the Chicago Cubs had an amazing season by winning 116 games, setting a Major League record. Which team came close in 1998 by winning 114?

New York Yankees. The Cubs played 152 games in 1906 and reached this amazing record. The Yankees in 1998 played 162 games. Unlike the Cubs, the Yankees won the World Series in their shining season.