Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark17
However, we live in days where some history is being cancelled, while other history is being re-written. According to Wikipedia:
[Tetelo]Vargas holds the major league record for best batting average in a single season. He hit .471 while playing for the New York Cubans in the Negro National League in 1943.
The Major League criteria for eligibility for a batting title is not a hard 502 PA. It is defined (and has been for a long time) as 3.1 PA per scheduled game. This way, minor leagues and even colleges can have batting leaders, although they don't have enough games for anyone to get 502 AB.
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I'll leave it at stating that I think rewriting history to better suit contemporary politics is never a good thing. Vargas' 121 at bats in the the Negro National League II might be the major league record being written into the books, but it's not one I will ever place any reasonable value on as an actual major league record. Duffy holds the true mark, albeit in a period where it was a lot easier to hit .440 (true of most any record). 237 hits in 125 National League games even in high offense 1894 is a heck of a mark.