Major League Baseball Triple Crown
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories in the same season. The term "Triple Crown" generally refers to the batting achievement of leading a league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI) over the same season.[1][2] The term "Pitching Triple Crown" refers to the pitching achievement of leading a league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average (ERA).
The term "Triple Crown" is typically used when a player leads one league, such as the American League (AL) or the National League (NL), in the specified categories. A tie for a lead in any category, such as home runs, is sufficient to be considered the leader in that category. A "Major League Triple Crown" may be said to occur when a player leads all of Major League Baseball in all three categories.
Batting Triple Crown
The term "Triple Crown" generally refers to the batting achievement. A batter who completes a season leading a league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI) may be said to have won the "Triple Crown".[1] As the term, unless modified, connotes the batting achievement, it may not be necessary to refer to this as the "batting" Triple Crown.
The Triple Crown reflects the ability of a batter to excel in three important ways: to hit safely a high percentage of the time (batting average); to hit the ball long distances (home runs); and to produce when runners are on base, driving them home to score (RBI). It is an uncommon feat to lead all batters in each of these categories. It has been accomplished 17 times, most recently in 2012, by Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera's was the first since 1967, when Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the feat.
The most batting Triple Crowns won by a player is two. Rogers Hornsby was the first to accomplish it, winning his first in 1922 and then leading all major leagues in 1925 en route to his second Triple Crown, both with the St. Louis Cardinals.[3][4] Ted Williams later matched this mark in the AL, winning in 1942 and 1947 with the Boston Red Sox.[5][6] The Cardinals have won the most batting Triple Crowns as a franchise with four. Along with Hornsby's two, Tip O'Neill won in the now-defunct American Association in 1887 while the team was known as the St. Louis Browns,[7] and Joe Medwick added the Cardinals' fourth in 1937.[8] Eleven of the thirteen eligible players who have offensive Triple Crowns have been elected to the Hall of Fame.[9] Players are eligible for the Hall of Fame if they have "been retired five seasons" or deceased for at least six months,[10] which means currently active Miguel Cabrera, whose 2012 Triple Crown is the most recent, isn't yet eligible.[11] Baseball writer and ESPN contributor Tim Kurkjian believes the Triple Crown has become more difficult to win with the advent of more hitters who choose to specialize in either hitting for batting average or power.[12]
Pitching Triple Crown
A pitcher who leads the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average (ERA) may be said to have won the "Pitching Triple Crown".[13] The Pitching Triple Crown is not quite as rare as the batting feat.
The pitching Triple Crown has been accomplished 38 times, including 8 since 1997. The most pitching Triple Crowns captured by one player is three, accomplished by three players. Grover Cleveland Alexander captured his first two in consecutive seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies (1915–1916), and won a third in 1920 with the Chicago Cubs. Alexander is the only pitching Triple Crown winner to win his titles with more than one team.[14][15][16] Walter Johnson won his three Triple Crowns with the first Washington Senators, leading the league in all three categories in 1913, 1918, and 1924.[17][18][19] Sandy Koufax was the most recent to capture three Triple Crowns, winning his three within four seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1963, 1965–1966); all of Koufax's crowns were Major League crowns (meaning he led both leagues in all three categories), the most for any player.[20][21][22]
Other pitchers who have won multiple Triple Crowns include Christy Mathewson (1905 and 1908 New York Giants), Lefty Grove (1930 and 1931 Philadelphia Athletics), Lefty Gomez (1934 and 1937 New York Yankees), and Roger Clemens (1997–1998 Toronto Blue Jays).[23]
One pitcher, Guy Hecker, won a Triple Crown in a major league that is currently defunct; he led the American Association in wins, strikeouts, and ERA in 1884 while pitching for the Louisville Colonels.[24]
Eighteen of twenty-four eligible pitchers who have won a Triple Crown have been elected to the Hall of Fame.[25] Under the aforementioned eligibility rules for the Hall of Fame, four living pitchers who have been active since 2011 are ineligible for election. The Triple Crown winners who most recently became eligible for the Hall are Pedro Martínez and Randy Johnson. Both were elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015, each in his first year of eligibility.[26]
The most recent Triple Crown winners for pitching are Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander, who won for the NL and AL respectively in 2011 (the first season since 1924 to see Triple Crown winners in both leagues).[27]
Records
The first Triple Crown winner was Tommy Bond, who won the NL pitching crown in 1877. The following year, Paul Hines won the first batting Triple Crown in the NL; he and Miguel Cabrera are the only two batting Triple Crown winners from the NL or the AL who are not in the Hall of Fame, although Cabrera is not yet eligible to be elected.[9][23] The highest home run and RBI totals by a batting winner were achieved by Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig, respectively; Mantle hit 52 home runs in 1956, and Gehrig batted in 165 runs in 1934, their only Triple Crown seasons. In the National League, Hornsby is the leader in home runs, with 42, and Medwick's 154 RBI lead as well. Hugh Duffy's .440 average in 1894 is the highest ever during a winning season, and the AL leader is Nap Lajoie (.426). Among the pitching triple crown winners, the lowest ERAs belong to Johnson (1.14 in the 1913 AL) and Alexander (1.22 in the 1915 NL). Johnson is also the AL leader in wins (36), but Charles Radbourn's NL total is over 20 wins higher; his 59 wins in 1884 are a Major League Baseball single-season record.[28] Radbourn also struck out 441 batters that season, the highest total for a Triple Crown winner; Pedro Martínez struck out 313 in the 1999 season to notch the highest strikeout total for an AL winner. The highest strikeout total for a Triple Crown winner in both the modern era (post-1900) and the live-ball era (post-1920) is Koufax's 382 in 1965, which was also a modern-era record at that time.
Triple Crown winners
- Key
Year | Links to the article about the corresponding Major League Baseball season |
---|---|
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum | |
Player is active | |
* | Denotes "Major League" Triple Crown |
§ | Player also won the MVP Award in the same year |
HR | Home runs |
RBI | Runs batted in |
AVG | Batting average |
W | Wins |
K | Strikeouts |
ERA | Earned run average |
NL | National League |
AL | American League |
AA | American Association |
Batting
The Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database[46] shows six instances of a player leading a so-called Negro League, or the East or the West (leagues were typically identified with these regions), in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. The players are Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Pete Hill, and Heavy Johnson. This source indicates that one player, Charleston, achieved the feat three times. The source shows three times that a player, including Charleston, led all Negro Leagues batters, rather than one particular league, in the three categories.
According to the data provided by the Seamheads source, Hall-of-Fame center fielder Oscar Charleston, in 1918 as a member of the Indianapolis ABCs, led all Western Independent Clubs batters with a .381 batting average, 3 home runs, and 43 RBI: this in 38 games.[47] In 1921, Charleston, then a member of the Negro National League's St. Louis Giants, led all Negro Leagues batters with a .433 average, 15 home runs, and 91 RBI: this in 77 games.[48] In 1924, Charleston, of the Harrisburg Giants, led the Eastern Colored League with a .405 average, 15 homers, and 63 RBI, in 54 games.[49]
This source indicates that, in 1933, Hall-of-Fame catcher Josh Gibson led all Negro Leagues batters with a .406 average, 14 home runs, and 60 RBI, in 55 games with the Pittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro National League (II).[50] In 1910, Pete Hill, a Hall-of-Famer playing centerfield for the Chicago Leland Giants, led all batters in the Negro Leagues with a .511 batting average, 4 HR's, and 27 RBI's, in 22 games.[51] In 1923, Heavy Johnson led the Negro National League with a .406 average, 20 home runs, and 120 RBI, playing 98 games, primarily as a right fielder, for the Kansas City Monarchs.[52]
Pitching
The Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database[93] shows six instances of a pitcher leading a so-called Negro League, or the East or the West (leagues were typically identified with these regions), in Earned Run Average, Wins, and Strikeouts in a season. The pitchers are Slim Jones, José Méndez, Dick Redding, and Joe Williams. This source shows Redding and Williams each achieving the feat twice. It also shows three times that a pitcher, including Redding and Williams, led all Negro Leagues baseball, rather than a particular league or region, in the three categories.
According to the data provided by Seamheads, José Méndez, a member of the Hall of Fame, led pitchers in the International League of Colored Baseball Clubs of America and Cuba with a 1.08 ERA, 6 Wins, and 74 Ks.[94] He did this pitching in 10 games, 8 of which he started, tolling 75 innings, as a member of the Cuban Stars of Havana.[95]
This source also indicates that Dick Redding, in 1915, led pitchers of Eastern Independent teams with an ERA of 1.06, 8 Wins, and 93 Ks: Redding played for both the New York Lincoln Giants and the New York Lincoln Stars, appearing in 19 games, 11 starts, totaling 119 innings.[96] In 1917, Redding, pitching in the West for the Chicago American Giants, led all Negro Leagues pitchers with an 0.70 ERA, 14 Wins, and 111 Ks, in 22 games (16 starts) amounting 153.2 innings.[97]
The same year, 1917, Hall-of-Famer Joe Williams' 1.69 ERA, 10 Wins, and 70 Ks led the East; Williams pitched in 12 games, 9 of them starts, for 101 innings.[98] The following year, 1918, Williams led all Negro Leagues pitchers with an ERA of 1.07, 10 Wins, and 93 Ks, pitching 134.2 innings in 16 games, 14 of them starts.[99] Williams pitched for the New York Lincoln Giants during these years.[100]
In 1934, Slim Jones, pitching for the Philadelphia Stars of the second Negro National League, led all Negro Leagues pitchers with an ERA of 1.26, 21 Wins, and 181 Ks.[101] These statistics from Seamheads show him having appeared in 33 games, 24 of them starts, with a total of 221.2 innings pitched.[102]
See also
- Cy Young Award
- Hank Aaron Award
- List of Major League Baseball awards
- Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award
References
- General
- "MLB Triple Crown Winners". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- "MLB Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- Gammons, Peter; Gillette, Gary; Palmer, Pete. The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia, Fourth Edition (ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia). Sterling. ISBN 978-1-4027-4771-7.
- Inline citations
- 1 2 Morosi, Jon Paul (June 4, 2010). "Cabrera has a legit shot at triple crown". Fox Sports. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ↑ Lockwood, Wayne (December 1997). "A Batter's Top Challenge: Winning the Triple Crown". Baseball Digest (Lakeside) 56 (12): 60–63. ISSN 0005-609X.
- 1 2 "1922 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1925 Major League Baseball Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1942 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1947 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1887 American Association Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ↑ "1937 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "Hall of Fame Batting Register". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ↑ "Rules for Election". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
- ↑ Nightengale, Bob (September 28, 2012). "Tigers' Miguel Cabrera closes in on rare Triple Crown". USA Today. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ↑ Kurkjian, Tim (July 20, 2009). "Pujols pushing for Triple Crown history". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ↑ Connolly, Dan (July 9, 2007). "Cheers and jeers as Major League season hits midway point". The Post and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1915 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1916 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1920 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1913 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1918 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1924 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1963 Major League Baseball Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1965 Major League Baseball Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1966 Major League Baseball Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "MLB Triple Crown Winners". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- 1 2 "1884 American Association Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ↑ "Hall of Fame Pitching Register". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ↑ Kurkjian, Tim (January 9, 2012). "Whopper of a list of names await in 2013". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ↑ "Triple Crowns highlight 2011 stat leaders". ESPN.com. September 29, 2011. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011.
- ↑ "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Wins". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ↑ "1878 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "Hugh Duffy Player Page". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
- ↑ "1901 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1909 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1909 Major League Baseball Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1925 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1933 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1933 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1934 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1934 Major League Baseball Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1937 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1942 Major League Baseball Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1956 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1956 Major League Baseball Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1966 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "1967 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "2012 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
- ↑ Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database http://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/index.php. Retrieved October 31, 2015. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - ↑ ""1918 Season"". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ↑ ""1921 Season"". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ↑ ""1924 Season"". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ↑ ""1933 Season"". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ↑ ""1910 Season"". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ↑ ""1923 Season"". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ↑ "1877 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1884 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1888 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1889 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1894 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1901 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1905 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1905 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1908 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1913 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1915 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1918 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1918 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1924 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1924 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1930 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1930 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1931 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1931 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1934 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1937 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1939 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1940 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1945 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1945 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1963 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1965 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1966 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1972 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1985 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1985 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1997 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1998 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "1999 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "2002 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "2006 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "2006 Major League Baseball Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "2007 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
- ↑ "2011 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- ↑ "2011 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- ↑ Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database http://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/index.php. Retrieved December 25, 2015. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - ↑ "1909 Season". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ↑ "1909 Cuban Stars of Havana". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ↑ "1915 Season". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ↑ "1917 Season". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ↑ "1917 Season". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ↑ "1918 Season". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Joe Williams". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ↑ "1934 Season". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ↑ "1934 Season". Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database. Seamheads.com. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
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