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NO STAT IS SAFE. NO ERA IS FORGOTTEN.
VOL. 1, NO. 33 · OCTOBER 12, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
ISSUE #033 · FREE AGENT
Wade Boggs — .328 Career
Average And 12 Straight
Seasons Over .300
On July 17, 1941, Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak ended. Wade Boggs once hit .349 in a season —
📅 THIS DATE IN
BASEBALL closer to .400 than DiMaggio's streak start date.
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
HE TREATED EVERY AT-BAT LIKE A MATH PROBLEM. THE MATH ALWAYS CAME OUT THE SAME.
.328 Career Average. Hit .300+ In 12 Consecutive
Seasons. The Most Disciplined Hitter Of His Era.
.328 12 1,412
WADE BOGGS CAREER BA CONSECUTIVE .300 SEASONS CAREER WALKS
CAREER K CAREER OBP BATTING TITLES
Boggs hit .328 for his career across 18 seasons — the highest average of any player from the 1970s
through the 2000s. He hit .300+ in 12 consecutive seasons from 1983-1994. He walked 1,412 times and
struck out just 745 times across his career — a walk-to-strikeout ratio that looks impossible by modern
standards.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
VS Cleveland Indians AUGUST 1, 1999
Home Run 41 Chris Haney W
CAREER HIT # TYPE AGE PITCHER RESULT
Hit 3,000
HE HIT CAREER HIT #3,000 AS A HOME RUN — AT AGE 41
Boggs hit his 3,000th career hit as a home run off Chris Haney of Cleveland on August 1, 1999 — at age 41.
He jogged around the bases and pumped his fist at home plate. A man who was famously not a home run
hitter hit number 3,000 over the fence. He rode around the warning track on a police horse. He said it was
the greatest moment of his baseball life. He was crying at second base.
ERA VS ERA 03
Best Pure Hitter of the 1980s — Boggs or Gwynn?
WADE BOGGS TONY GWYNN
CAREER BA CAREER BA
.328 .338
CAREER OBP VS BATTING TITLES (NL)
.415 8
BATTING TITLES (AL) 1994 BA
Gwynn's .338 edges Boggs' .328. Boggs' .415 OBP beats Gwynn's .388. Both had near-zero strikeout rates in
an era of increasing K totals. The honest answer: Gwynn was the better hitter. Boggs was the more patient
hitter. Both made every pitcher they faced work harder than they wanted to.
Who was the better pure hitter — Boggs or Gwynn?
WADE BOGGS — .415 OBP TONY GWYNN — .338 BA AND 8 TITLES ROD CAREW — .328 BA AND 7 TITLES
GEORGE BRETT — .305 WITH POWER
THE COLDEST MOMENT 04
THE PRE-GAME RITUAL THAT BECAME A PUNCHLINE
He Ate Chicken Before Every Game For His Entire
Career. 18 Seasons. Every Single Night.
Boggs ate chicken before every game he played in the major leagues — for 18 seasons,
approximately 2,600 games. He kept a spiral notebook with 40 different chicken recipes. His
wife made it every night. When he traveled, he found chicken at restaurants. When room service
failed, he found it anyway. He said it gave him energy. His career .328 average suggests he was
right. Opponents found the superstition funny. The batting titles were less funny.
People laugh at the chicken. Nobody laughed at the batting title.
— WADE BOGGS
THE STAT VAULT 05
CAREER BATTING AVERAGE CONSECUTIVE SEASONS HITTING .300+
.328 12
Highest of any player who played 1983 to 1994. He hit .259 his first season
primarily from 1975-2000. (1982) and then never stopped.
CAREER ON-BASE PERCENTAGE BATTING TITLES
.415 5
He reached base 41% of all plate All with the Boston Red Sox. Won the AL
appearances. 1,412 walks against 745 K. batting title 5 times from 1983-1988.
1999 WORLD SERIES RING WITH YANKEES
Won his only WS ring in 1996 after leaving Boston — the most Boston outcome possible.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Don Mattingly
NEW YORK YANKEES · 1982-1995
.307 BA · 222 HR · 9 GOLD GLOVES · 1985 AL MVP
The Best First Baseman Of The 1980s. Never Won A Playoff Series. Back
Injuries Robbed A HOF Career.
Mattingly won the AL MVP in 1985, hit .307 with 222 HR, and won 9 Gold Gloves at first base. His back
problems began in 1990 and eroded the elite version of his career. He finally reached the postseason in his
last season (1995) and the Yankees lost in the ALDS. He played 14 seasons without a ring and retired at 34.
He's borderline HOF and consistently underrated.
THE CONNECTION:
Mattingly and Boggs were the two most decorated hitters on the 1980s Yankees — both elite, both
without rings until near the end. Boggs finally got his in 1996. Mattingly retired one year before the
dynasty started.
COMING NEXT MONDAY
Next Monday: Ken Griffey Jr. was the most natural swing in the history of baseball. The injuries are why we
debate this.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player from any era who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
All Eras. All Stats. No Debate.
Every Monday. No exceptions.