As part of the process of designing our cards, we've researched and verified hundreds of interesting, odd, and surprising sports facts. Several of our designs include a random fact on the back of the card, in addition to the "stats" that you can have players answer. Here are 50 of the interesting baseball facts that appear on our cards.

Ringer design - front of card Ringer design - back of card showing baseball fact

Legendary Records & Streaks

  1. Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 for the Yankees remains the longest in Major League Baseball history. During his famous streak from May 15 to July 16 of 1941, he hit 56 singles and scored 56 runs.
  2. Cal Ripken Jr. played 2,632 straight games across 16 seasons, from May 30, 1982 to September 19, 1998.
  3. In 1988, Orel Hershiser set the record for the longest scoreless streak in MLB history at 59 innings, over the course of seven games.
  4. Nolan Ryan is the all-time Major League Baseball leader in no-hitters, with seven - three more than any other pitcher.
  5. Nolan Ryan had 5,714 career strikeouts, more than any other pitcher in baseball history, and 839 more strikeouts than the runner up, Randy Johnson.
  6. In 1938, Johnny Vander Meer became the first and only MLB pitcher to throw two consecutive no-hitters. LIFE magazine called it "the most unbreakable of all baseball records".
  7. Mickey Mantle holds the record for the longest home run - 565 feet - at Washington DC's old Griffith Stadium on April 17, 1953.
  8. Both the 1906 Chicago Cubs and the 2001 Seattle Mariners hold the record for the most wins in an MLB season with 116 wins each.
  9. The fastest pitch ever recorded in Major League Baseball was 105.8 mph, thrown by Aroldis Chapman on September 24, 2010.
  10. The Texas Rangers hold the modern MLB record for most runs by one team, scoring 30 in a 30-3 win over the Orioles on August 22, 2007, the only 30-run game.

Historic Firsts & Milestones

  1. The Cincinnati Red Stockings became baseball's first all-professional team in 1869, with ten paid players.
  2. On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made history when he became the first black American to play in the Major Leagues.
    3. Ichiro SuzukiIchiro Suzuki in 2011
  3. Jackie Robinson was the first and only player whose uniform number — 42 — was retired by Major League Baseball, making it unwearable on every team.
  4. In 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates made history with MLB's first all-minority starting lineup: nine Black and Latino players.
  5. The Yankees were the first baseball team to wear numbers on their backs, in the 1920s. They initially wore numbers based on the batting order.
  6. In 2025, in his first year of eligibility, Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese player to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
  7. Chan Ho Park was the first South Korean-born player in MLB history, and the first South Korean player to be named an MLB All-Star.
  8. In 2007, Ichiro Suzuki became the first, and only, player to record an inside-the-park home run during an MLB All-Star Game.

Remarkable Individual Achievements

  1. Stan Musial, nicknamed "Stan the Man", retired after 22 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals with 3,630 hits: 1,815 at home and 1,815 on the road.
  2. In April 1999, Fernando Tatis hit two Grand Slams in the same inning, both off Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park.
  3. Hank Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career Runs Batted In (2,297), extra base hits (1,477), and total bases (6,856).
    4. Roberto ClementeRoberto Clemente in 1957
  4. Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs in 1974. He held the record for 31 years, until Barry Bonds surpassed his total of 755 in 2007.
  5. Roberto Clemente's batting average was over .300 for 13 seasons, and he had exactly 3,000 hits during his major league career.
  6. In 1956, Roberto Clemente became the first and only player in modern MLB history to hit a walk-off, inside-the-park grand slam.
  7. While recovering from a second elbow injury in 2024, Shohei Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season.
  8. In Shohei Ohtani's 2018 rookie year with the Angels, he joined Babe Ruth as the only MLB players with 10 pitching appearances and 20 homers in a season.
  9. In 2022, Shohei Ohtani became the first player in the modern era to qualify for both the hitting and pitching leaderboards in one season.
  10. Fred Lynn and Ichiro Suzuki are the only players to win the Rookie of the Year Award and be named MVP in the same season.

Unforgettable Moments & Oddities

  1. On September 15, 1963, Felipe, Mateo, and Jesús Alou of the San Francisco Giants appeared in the first and only all-brother outfield in MLB history.
    2. The Alou Brothers in 1963 The Alou brothers in 1963
  2. Ken Johnson pitched a 9-inning no-hitter for the Houston Colt 45s in 1964, and still lost the game due to a series of fielding errors in the 9th inning.
  3. In 1993, José Canseco turned a fly ball into a home run when it bounced off his head and over the fence.
  4. Bill Mazeroski gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a 10-9 win over the Yankees in game 7 of the 1960 World Series with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th.
  5. On May 28, 1998, Barry Bonds was intentionally walked by the Arizona Diamondbacks, even though the bases were loaded, with the Diamondbacks ahead by 2 runs.
  6. On June 8, 1989, the Phillies fell behind the Pirates 10-0 in the first inning, but rallied to win 15-11.
  7. Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. are the only father-son duo to homer in the same game, going back-to-back off Angels Kirk McCaskill on September 14, 1990.
  8. In 1962, Harry Chiti was traded to the Mets for a "player to be named later." That player turned out to be himself.
  9. Keith McDonald had a short MLB career with 3 hits in total - all of which were home runs.

Base Stealing Legends

    Rickey HendersonRickey Henderson in 1991
  1. Rickey Henderson, nicknamed "Man of Steal", holds MLB records for career stolen bases, runs, unintentional walks, and leadoff home runs.
  2. Rickey Henderson stole more bases himself (1,406) than entire MLB teams have in their franchise histories, such as the Padres.
  3. Along with holding the record for most stolen bases, Rickey Henderson holds the record for most times caught stealing, at 335.
  4. The record for most consecutive steals in a career in the American League belongs to Ichiro Suzuki, with 45 successful stolen bases in a row.
  5. The record for most consecutive steals in a career in the National League belongs to Vince Coleman, with 50 successful stolen bases in a row.

Ballparks & Equipment

  1. The oldest MLB baseball park still in use is Fenway Park, the home field of the Boston Red Sox, which debuted in 1912.
  2. Wrigley Field was the last MLB park to install lights, finally hosting its first night game in 1988. Until then, all Cubs home games were played during the day.
  3. The "Green Monster", the 37-ft tall left field wall at Fenway Park, is known to turn would-be home runs into singles and doubles due to its height and design.
  4. At Denver's Coors Field, at 5,200 feet above sea level, balls travel farther due to lower air density. The Rockies store baseballs in a humidor to reduce the effect.
  5. It is said that the average lifespan of a baseball in a major league game is six to seven pitches.
  6. An official major league baseball consists of 108 double-sided stitches. The first and the last stitches remain hidden on the baseball.
  7. Since the start of the 21st century, the harder and denser maple has replaced ash as the preferred wood for Major League bats.
  8. Every MLB ball is covered in a mud, called Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing mud, from a secret location in New Jersey.
Classic 3 design - front of card Classic 3 design - back of card showing baseball fact

This is just a selection of the hundreds of verified facts we've collected for Pennant Cards. Several of our designs feature a random selection of these facts on the back, giving young players something interesting to read and share with teammates and friends. These facts make trading cards more than just keepsakes — they expose kids to the fascinating and rich history of professional sports.