three times and in on-base percentage five times. His career numbers include a .340 batting average and a .632 slugging percentage, the third highest of all time. His 23 career Grand Slams is yet another all-time record.

However, despite Gehrig's seamless consistency, few of his achievements, especially the 2,130-consecutive-game streak, came easily. Gehrig played every game for 13 years despite a broken thumb, a broken toe and back spasms. Later on, a doctor's X-rays revealed that Gehrig's hands had endured 17 fractures that had "healed" while he continued to play.

4. Barry Bonds OPS+177
Measured by OPS+, Barry Bonds's 2001 (262) and 2002 (275) seasons are the greatest ever, and his combination of walks and slugging has earned him a choice seat among the greatest hitters of all time.

In the lasttwo seasons, Bonds has broken no fewer than four
significant single-season records. In 2001, he hit 73 homers, breaking Mark McGwire's record of 70, and his .863 slugging percentage eclipsed Babe Ruth's once insuperable .847 set in 1920. Bonds also broke Ruth's walk record of 170, being issued 177 free passes during the season. A year later, Bonds shattered his own mark, walking 198 times. Finally, his .582 on-base percentage in 2002 blew away Ted Williams's .553, set in his magical .406 season.

Yet, as loud as these impressive numbers are, the best way to understand Bonds's domination as a hitter is to see how his presence in the batter's box wreaks havoc on the opposition. During the 2002 World Series, for example, Anaheim Angels pitchers, fearing the consequences, repeatedly