First, the lineup has a decidedly modern bent, with all seven hitters having played the entirety of their careers after World War II. Not only that, four of the players were active in the 2000s, with another missing by three seasons. Another three played deep into the teens, and two of them were still active in 2022.

The other surprising bit?

Two of these guys are likely to end up outside the Hall of Fame. I’ll let you figure out which ones.

For now, let’s dive into the full list of players with 3000 hits and 500 home runs, along with links to their baseball cards — a full page of all our articles related to each player, plus plenty of cardboard eye candy.

Batter up!

(Stats culled from Baseball-Reference.com)

From flamethrowers to junkballers, from control artists to spitballers, they’re all here

And they all have baseball cards that collectors love to no end.

What follows, then, is the complete list of pitchers with 300 wins, along with links to their baseball cards — a full page of all our articles related to each player, plus plenty of cardboard eye candy.

Play ball!

(Stats culled from Baseball-Reference.com)

Indeed, the men who comprise its membership have been the most ballyhooed names in the sport for over a century: Ruth, Williams, Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Bonds, A-Rod.

The 500 Home Run Club includes players from all over the diamond (save catcher and the keystone), and you could field an amazing, full team with the roster of big bashers.

What follows, then, is the complete list of players in the 500 Home Run Club, along with links to their baseball cards — a full page of all our articles related to each player, plus plenty of cardboard eye candy.

(Stats culled from Baseball-Reference.com)

From Hall of Famers to will-be Hall of Famers to men with infamous black marks that ding their Cooperstown chances …

From home run kings to batting average monsters to stolen base champions …

They’re all here, and so are a few active players.

And they all have baseball cards that collectors love to no end.

What follows, then, is the complete list of players with 3000 hits, along with links to their baseball cards — a full page of all our articles related to each player, plus plenty of cardboard eye candy.

Play ball!

(Stats culled from Baseball-Reference.com)

Here is a summary of the ways fielders may record a putout against an opposing team:

• Catching a third strike thrown by the pitcher (catchers, generally)
• Stepping on a base while holding the baseball to force out a runner
• Catching a batted ball
• Applying a tag to a runner who is in between bases

It’s interesting to note that, while pitchers are responsible for initiating almost every out by throwing a pitch, they are only awarded putouts when they act as a fielder under one of the above scenarios. That usually occurs after the ball has been batted, or if a runner gets caught in a rundown and the pitcher moves in to cover a base or homeplate.

On a related note, a player is awarded an assist when he throws the ball to a teammate who subsequently records a putout. Pitchers aren’t awarded assists for strikeouts, though.

If there are men on base ahead of him, then the batter who hits a home run is also credited an RBI for each of those runners who score. All told here is the number of runs batted in credited to a batter who hits a home run with a specific number of runners on base ahead of him:

A bases-loaded home run (one with three men already on base) is a Grand Slam!

While it is illegal to “steal” signs in baseball, there is little that a team can do to prevent opposing batters to using the information they glean from tipped pitches to their advantage.

After all, stealing signs usually involves a coach or other player telegraphing pitches called by the opposing catcher to the batter, while the batter himself has the opportunity to interpret a pitcher’s body language, and to react accordingly in terms of pitch anticipation.

The best defense a team has against a hurler tipping pitches is to recognize it as early as possible and then work to change the mannerisms involved.

In terms of body language and motion on the mound, a pitcher‘s goal should be to present the same “look” to each batter, no matter what the circumstance or what pitch he’s planning to deliver.

Would the hometown team have home-field advantage if they reached the Fall Classic?

And would it matter if they did? What has having the World Series home-field advantage meant historically?

And just how is that home-field advantage determined, anyway?

We can’t answer all of those questions, because, for example, you just never know how a team will perform under pressure. But we sure can dive into the facts for most of them … so let’s get to it!

That season, MLB began limiting teams to six mound visits per nine-inning game, then adjusted that downward to five mound visits per nine-inning game for 2019 season.

Coaches or managers may visit the mound once per inning (up to the five-per-game limit) for up to 30 seconds at a time. Exceeding the time limit or making a second visit in an inning necessitates making a pitching change.

Many major league scoreboards began tracking mound visits remaining right alongside ball, strikes, outs, runs, hits, errors, and innings played in 2018.

Suddenly, fans were asking, “What is MVR in baseball?” … and now you know!

In those nine innings, each team comes to bat nine times, hitting until the defensive team records three outs.

The visiting (aka, “away” or “road” team) bats in the top of each inning, with the home team batting in the bottom of each inning — that’s a total of 18 half innings in a full nine-inning contest.

However the home team does NOT bat in the bottom of the ninth inning if they are already leading after the top of the ninth — they have already won the game, so there is no point in their batting again.

When do games NOT last nine innings?

There are times when MLB games do not last the full nine innings, but still count as official games. Among those are …

• Inclement weather prevents further play, but the teams have completed five full innings (or four-and-a-half in the case the home team is ahead).
• Darkness prevents further play, but the teams have completed five full innings (or four-and-a-half in the case the home team is ahead) — a rare occasion, indeed in modern times.
• Forfeit by one team.

Of course, major league games may also last more than nine innings if the teams play to a tie after nine frames.

Other versions and levels of the game also don’t typically play nine innings:

• Most college games are scheduled for nine innings, but there are provisions that allow umpires to shorten those contests.
• Each half of a college doubleheader lasts just seven innings.
• High school games last seven innings.
• Little League games last six innings.
• Most softball leagues play seven-inning games, while youth softball typically falls back to six innings.