Who are the kings of 'Club 162'?

Who are the kings of 'Club 162'?

Olson joins exclusive group by playing every game for 4th time

September 30th, 2024

The Major League Baseball season is a marathon. So much so that it’s an amazing feat when a player appears in every game of a particular season. Even with a scheduled off-day here and there, it’s incredibly hard to play in 162 games over a six-month stretch.

Although every season tends to have at least one player who pulls it off, "Club 162," as we'll call it, has become more of a rarity in recent years.

Braves first baseman and Rangers second baseman are the only active players to appear in 162 games in at least three different seasons, but while Semien missed three games in 2024, Olson appeared in all 162 for the fourth time.

By doing so, Olson joined an exclusive club of big leaguers who have done so. The list includes some legends of baseball history, and, as you’ll read, isn’t growing nearly as fast as it was a couple of decades ago.

This group only includes those who have played full seasons in 1961 or later, since the American League (and in 1962, the National League) didn’t expand to 162 games until then. Players on teams that completed fewer than 162 games – like the 2021 Braves and Rockies – thanks to shortened seasons or postponements, are also excluded, even if they didn’t technically miss a single game. (Seasons of more than 162 games have also sometimes been possible, and those are counted here.)

With that, here’s a look at the 15 most prolific members of Club 162, starting with the Iron Man himself.

1. : 10 seasons of 162 games
No surprise here. Ripken played 162 games in 10 different seasons during his record-setting streak of 2,632 consecutive games from 1982 to 1998. If it wasn’t for the 1994 strike and shortened 1995 season, in addition to a couple of 161-game seasons for the Orioles over that period, Ripken may have reeled off even more 162-game campaigns. Just like his consecutive games streak, it’s hard to see anyone ever topping this number.

2. : eight seasons
No player in MLB history has played more games than Charlie Hustle's 3,562. During one nine-year stretch from 1974-82, Rose played in 162 games seven times, falling short of a full season only in 1978 and the strike-shortened 1981 season. Rose’s durability helped him set baseball’s all-time hits record with 4,256 knocks through his career. He could have very easily challenged Ripken's record but had nine other seasons of 150-plus games that fell short of 162.

3. : seven seasons
Garvey was a key cog in the Dodgers’ excellent stretch during the late 1970s and early '80s, which culminated in a World Series title in 1981. From early September 1974 through late July 1983, Garvey played in 1,207 consecutive games, a National League record and the fourth-longest streak in MLB history. That run started during his Dodger days and went through part of his end-of-career tenure with the Padres.

4 (tie). : six seasons
Tejada is baseball’s iron man of the 21st century, the only player to have a 1,000-plus consecutive game streak this millennium. He played in 162 games in six straight seasons – three with the A’s and three with the Orioles – from 2001-06, a feat yet to be matched.

4 (tie). : six seasons
Williams’ durability transcends even this exclusive list. Not only did the Hall of Famer play at least 162 games six times, but in three of those seasons he actually played more than 162, because of Cubs games that ended in a tie and had to be made up later. He is the only player in MLB history with that many seasons of more than 162 games. In 1965, he played 164, a feat matched by only five other players.

6. : five seasons
One of the most underrated players of the last two decades, Pierre trails only Tejada among Club 162 members this century. Pierre’s 162-game campaigns came in five straight seasons from 2003-07, accomplishing the feat with the Marlins (three times), Cubs and Dodgers. During that stretch, Pierre’s 810 games played easily led the Majors, but the speedster also topped all players in stolen bases (289).

7 (tie). : four seasons
Olson has not missed a game in any of the past three seasons, playing all 162 for the Braves in 2022, '23 and '24. He also played the full slate as a member of the A's in 2018. (Olson also played all 60 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.) With his 54-homer season in '23, Olson became just the fourth player to record a 50-homer season while playing all 162 games, joining Alex Rodriguez (2001 and '02), Luis Gonzalez (2001) and Sammy Sosa (1999).

7 (tie). : four seasons
Fielder was on his way to becoming one of the most durable players in MLB history early in his career, playing in 157 or more games in each of his first eight full seasons. A neck injury — which foiled his bid for a fifth 162-game season in 2014 – would lead to a premature end to his career at just 32 years old, or else the slugger would likely be a spot or two higher on this list.

7 (tie). : four seasons
Speaking of players who could be much higher on this list, Suzuki didn’t arrive in the Majors from Japan until he was 27. He also finished with exactly 161 games played four times. All four of Ichiro’s 162-game seasons came in his 30s, a feat only outdone by Ripken and Garvey.

7 (tie). : four seasons
Despite enduring some notable injuries, Bagwell was the model of durability throughout his 15-year career, all in an Astros uniform. Bagwell was the rare slugger who consistently stayed on the field – his 449 career home runs are the most for any player with at least four 162-game seasons.

7 (tie). : four seasons
Carter is best remembered for his iconic World Series-winning home run in 1993, but he was quietly as durable as they come throughout his stellar career. He played in 155 or more games in nine seasons, including 162 four times. Carter joins Pierre as the only players on this list to play 162 games in three straight seasons for three different teams, pulling off the feat with Cleveland, San Diego and Toronto from 1989-91.

7 (tie). : four seasons
Perhaps the most low-profile player on this list, Griffin did win the 1979 AL Rookie of the Year Award with the Blue Jays and was a 1984 All-Star with Toronto before capturing his lone Gold Glove Award in 1985 after being traded to Oakland. Griffin’s stretch from 1982-86 was about as consistent as they come, with 162 games played in four out of five seasons.

7 (tie). : four seasons
Murphy is the only player in MLB history to have four seasons of 162 games with 30 or more home runs, and he did it in the heart of his prime from 1982-85. Murphy’s durability paid off in hardware, with two NL MVP Awards, four Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers during that stretch, while making the NL All-Star squad each time.

7 (tie). : four seasons
From 1962-69, the Cubs legend played in at least 160 games in every season but one, when he played 155. Like Williams, Santo played in 164 games during the Cubs’ 1965 season. Santo was agonizingly close to moving up this list, playing in 160 or 161 games in a season three times.

7 (tie). : four seasons
Robinson’s amazing glove overshadowed another incredible aspect of his game: unbelievable longevity and reliability. Robinson played in 150 or more games in 14 seasons, one of just six players who can say that. Robinson also is one of three players, along with Rose and Williams, to play 163 games in multiple seasons.