Major League Baseball records are meant to be broken.

Babe Ruth’s home run standard of 714 home runs appeared to be untouchable until Hank Aaron broke the mark in 1974. Aaron’s mark (756) lasted until 2007 when Barry Bonds surpassed that.

But are there records still out there in this ever-changing, high-tech sports world - in which athletes are seemingly getting faster and stronger with each passing year - that will stand the test of time?

In this week’s version of my Behind the Plate column, I will take a look at five records that have so far withstood the passage of time, and talk about which ones have the best chance to continue to do that.

A recent Times News poll got your opinion on which records will be the hardest to break.

Cal Ripken’s consecutive game streak of 2,632 games received the largest number of votes (44%). It was followed by Ted Williams’ mark of hitting over .400 for a season (21%), Rickey Henderson’s 130 steals in a season, along with his 1,406 career swipes (13%), Joe DiMaggio’s’ 56-game hitting streak (12%), and Ichiro’s 262 hits in a season (8%).

Who’s the Next Ironman? ... Ripken’s streak has my vote for the one that could be the hardest to break. In case you forgot, New York’s Lou Gehrig is second with 2,130 straight games. Ex-Brave and Phillie outfielder Dale Murphy had 740 games and Richie Ashburn reached 730 games. Pete Rose had 678 straight games.

These days, players tend to get easily nicked and tend to miss a game or two in a two-week cycle.

Kansas City’s Whit Merrifield had the longest recent streak at 553 consecutive games, which ended last year.

.400 is the Promised Land ... Williams set his mark of .406 in 1941. Like several notable records, there have been some threats, but no one has managed to do it since.

A few years after Williams, Stan “The Man” Musial managed to hit. 378 in 1948. After that, there weren’t any contenders until the 1970s.

Minnesota‘s Rod Carew was probably the game’s most prolific hitter during that era - winning seven batting titles. His best year came in 1977 when he hit .388.

Most of us remember Kansas City’s George Brett, who got to .390 in 1980, helping his team to the World Series.

But the closest run was by San Diego hit machine Tony Gwynn, who hit .394 in 1994 - finishing just five hits shy of the magic mark.

Colorado’s Larry Walker raised his average to .379 in 1999, including .461 in the friendly hitting confines of Coors Field. However, Walker hit just .286 on the road.

Run, Rickey, Run ... In his day, Henderson was a steal machine. If you grew up in the 1960s and 70s, Lou Brock was the best at his craft, as he registered 938 steals.

Ex-Phillie Bobby Abreu surprisingly has 400, Lonne Smith 370, and Lenny Dykstra 285. Trea Turner currently has 253.

The White Sox’s Elvis Andrus leads current major league players with 346 in his career.

Henderson’s career and season marks appear as though they will have a long lifespan.

Off the Charts ... Ichiro’s all-time season hit mark of 262 in 2004 hasn’t been challenged since he set it.

The Phils’ all-time mark is 254 held by Lefty O’Doul in 1937. Ashburn had 221 in 1951, and Dave Cash recorded 213 in 1975. Rose collected 208 in 1979, and Jimmy Rollins garnered 212 in 2007. Rollins is the club’s all-time hits leader with 2,306.

This season, LA’s Freddie Freeman and Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. have been the leaders in hits. Freeman led baseball last season with 199 hits.

56 Is A Lot ... DiMaggio set his mark in 1941, and baseball insiders believed it would be broken not soon after. However, Joe D’s record hasn’t really been threatened.

Rose made a notable run in 1978 when he reached 44 games before his streak ended. Rose made a few more attempts, but couldn’t get any closer.

This season, Texas’ Marcus Seaman has a 25-game streak, and LA’s Freddie Freeman and Houston’s Mauricio Dubon each had 20-game streaks.

Last year, Trea Turner reached 26 games as a Dodger. This season, the Phillies’ Bryson Scott hit in 17 consecutive games.

DiMaggio’s is another streak that I feel may stay intact for quite a while.

Other Records That Could Last ... Some other records that will be hard to break include Rose’s 15,890 plate appearances and his 4,256 career hits; Nolan Ryan’s career marks of 5,714 strikeouts and 2,795 walks; Barry Bonds’ 232 walks in 2004; and Babe Ruth’s 177 runs scored in 1921.

When you look at some of those numbers, they are mind-blowing. Most of us have to feel very fortunate to have seen many of these players in our lifetime.

More Numbers ... Along with some of the famous records mentioned in this column, there are some lesser-known marks that should be recognized.

In 1971, Montreal’s Ron Hunt was hit by a pitch 50 times. Houston’s Craig Biggio has come the closest to matching that number when he was plunked 34 times in 1997.

Cubs’ catcher Jody Davis threw out 89 baserunners trying to steal in 1986 - which is truly remarkable - and former Red Sox spot-starter Reggie Cleveland allowed just three home runs over 41 starts in 1976, which is another phenomenal stat.

On This Day ... On Aug. 28, 1971, the Phillies’ Rick Wise hit two homers in helping his cause in a 7-3 victory over the Giants. Wise hit six homers that year, including two famous shots in his no-hitter against the Reds. He hit 15 for his career and had 66 RBIs. Mike Schmidt passed Williams and Willie McCovey on the all-time home run list with his 522nd blast in a 8-1 victory over the Padres in 1987. Ex-Phillie and White Sox Greg Luzinski became the first player to hit the roof of Comiskey Park when he homered off Dennis “Oil Can “ Boyd in 1983.

Seeing Double ... Perhaps one of the better teams that has slipped under the radar has been the Minnesota Twins. Beginning Sunday, the Twins led Cleveland by six games in the AL Central.

The Twins haven’t won a playoff game since 2002 when they defeated Oakland in the divisional series, and then lost to Anaheim in the championship series. They did win the World Series in 1991.

The Twins have a team batting average of .240 and a team ERA of 3.95. They are 21st in the majors in hitting, but seventh overall in pitching with a .238 opponent batting average.

Castoffs Sonny Grey and Dallas Keuchel have anchored a relatively young pitching staff, and Pablo Lopez, who has nine wins, is at the top of the rotation. Fellow castoff Joey Gallo has been a power source with 20 homers.

NY Follies ... The Yankees finished Saturday’s play with an overall 61-67 record, and were saddled in last place of the AL East Division. They had lost eight of their last 10, and 15 of their last 20 games.

The last time the Yanks finished in the cellar was 1990, when they posted a record of 67-95.

Look for some overhaul work here in the offseason, probably starting with manager Aaron Boone.

Feedback ... Your thoughts, comments and ideas are always welcomed at tnsports@tnonline.com