Triple crown (baseball)

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Triple crown (baseball)

In baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score run by hitting a thrown Baseball with a baseball bat and touching a series of four markers called base arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against...
, the Triple Crown refers to:

A batter who (at season's end) leads the league in three major categories -- home run
Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batting is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring run for himself and each baserunning who was already on base, with no error by the defensive team on the play....
s, runs batted in, and batting average
Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of batsman and hitter, respectively. The two statistics are related, in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages....
.
A pitcher who (at season's end) leads the league in three major categories -- earned run average
Earned run average

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. The ERA tells the average number of runs a pitcher would surrender over the course of a full game had he been kept in for the full nine innings....
, win
Win (baseball)

A win is a statistic in Major League Baseball credited to the pitcher for the winning team who was in the game when his team last took the lead....
s, and strikeout
Strikeout

In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike out occurs when a batter receives three strike during his time at bat. Strikeouts are associated with dominance on the part of the pitcher , although it is recognized that the style of swing that generates home runs also leaves the batter somewhat susceptible to striking out....
s.

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Encyclopedia

In baseball

Baseball

A batter who (at season's end) leads the league in three major categories -- home run
Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batting is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring run for himself and each baserunning who was already on base, with no error by the defensive team on the play....
s, runs batted in, and batting average
Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of batsman and hitter, respectively. The two statistics are related, in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages....
.
A pitcher who (at season's end) leads the league in three major categories -- earned run average
Earned run average

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. The ERA tells the average number of runs a pitcher would surrender over the course of a full game had he been kept in for the full nine innings....
, win
Win (baseball)

A win is a statistic in Major League Baseball credited to the pitcher for the winning team who was in the game when his team last took the lead....
s, and strikeout
Strikeout

In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike out occurs when a batter receives three strike during his time at bat. Strikeouts are associated with dominance on the part of the pitcher , although it is recognized that the style of swing that generates home runs also leaves the batter somewhat susceptible to striking out....
s.

In the popular imagination, the Triple Crown is often thought of as the epitome of excellence in batting or pitching (even though sabermetric categories claim to be better measures of a player's productivity than the traditional Triple Crown categories). The batting Triple Crown is less common, and has not been achieved since 1967. Usually, when the "Triple Crown" is referred to without specifying batting or pitching, the league batting Triple Crown is meant.

Fast facts

Batting

Last Triple Crown winner, either league: Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Yastrzemski

Carl Michael Yastrzemski...
, BOS, 1967.

Last American League Triple Crown Winner (lead AL in all 3 categories): Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Yastrzemski

Carl Michael Yastrzemski...
, BOS, 1967.
Last National League Triple Crown Winner (lead NL in all 3 categories): Joe Medwick
Joe Medwick

Joseph Michael Medwick , nicknamed "Ducky", was an United States player in Major League Baseball. A highly competitive left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals during the "Gashouse Gang" era of the 1930s, he also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , San Francisco Giants , and Atlanta Braves ....
, STL, 1937.

Last Major League Triple Crown Winner (lead both leagues in all 3 categories): Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle

Mickey Charles Mantle was an American baseball player who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.He played his entire 18-year major-league professional career for the New York Yankees, winning 3 American League MVP titles and playing for 16 Major League Baseball All-Star Game teams....
, NYY, 1956.
Only Two-Time Winners: Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby

Rogers Hornsby , nicknamed "The Rajah", was a Major League Baseball second baseman and manager . Hornsby's first name, Rogers, was his mother's maiden name....
, STL, 1922, 1925; Ted Williams
Ted Williams

Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams also nicknamed The Kid, the Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame and The Thumper, was an United States left fielder in Major League Baseball....
, BOS, 1942, 1947.

Pitching

Last Triple Crown Winner, either league: Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy

Jacob Edward Peavy is a Cy Young Award-winning starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the San Diego Padres. He bats and throws right-handed....
, SDP, 2007.

Last American League Triple Crown Winner (lead AL in all 3 categories): Johan Santana
Johan Santana

Johan Alexander Santana is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who plays for the New York Mets. As a two-time Cy Young Award winner, Santana has established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball history....
, MIN, 2006.
Last National League Triple Crown Winner (lead NL in all 3 categories): Jake Peavy
Jake Peavy

Jacob Edward Peavy is a Cy Young Award-winning starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the San Diego Padres. He bats and throws right-handed....
, SDP, 2007.

Last Major League Triple Crown Winner (lead both leagues in all 3 categories): Johan Santana
Johan Santana

Johan Alexander Santana is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who plays for the New York Mets. As a two-time Cy Young Award winner, Santana has established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball history....
, MIN, 2006.
Most Triple Crowns: Grover Cleveland Alexander
Grover Cleveland Alexander

Grover Cleveland "Old Pete" Alexander was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals....
, 3 (PHI, 1915, 1916; CHI, 1920); Walter Johnson
Walter Johnson

Walter Perry Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Train," was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball between 1907 and 1927. One of the most celebrated players in baseball history, Johnson established several pitching records, some of which remained unbroken for more than a half-century....
, 3 (WSH, 1913, 1918, 1924); Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax

Sanford Koufax is an United States left-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Los Angeles Dodgers, from to ....
, 3 (LAD, 1963, 1965, 1966).

Batting Triple Crown winners

National League

American League

American Association

Pitching Triple Crown winners

National League

American League

American Association

Major League Triple Crown

In general, when one refers to a player as having won a Triple Crown, it is meant that the player led his own league in the three categories. A less frequent circumstance is the "Major League Triple Crown", where a player leads both major leagues, not just his own league, in each of the three categories. Since the birth of the American League in 1901, five hitters and eight pitchers have accomplished this feat, although Walter Johnson

Walter Johnson

Walter Perry Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Train," was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball between 1907 and 1927. One of the most celebrated players in baseball history, Johnson established several pitching records, some of which remained unbroken for more than a half-century....
, Grover Cleveland Alexander

Grover Cleveland Alexander

Grover Cleveland "Old Pete" Alexander was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals....
, and Lefty Grove

Lefty Grove

Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove was considered one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball history.Born in Lonaconing, Maryland, Grove was a sandlot star in the Baltimore, Maryland area during the 1910s....
have done it twice for pitching, and Sandy Koufax

Sandy Koufax

Sanford Koufax is an United States left-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Los Angeles Dodgers, from to ....
has done it three times. The most recent Major League Triple Crown Winners were Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle

Mickey Charles Mantle was an American baseball player who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.He played his entire 18-year major-league professional career for the New York Yankees, winning 3 American League MVP titles and playing for 16 Major League Baseball All-Star Game teams....
in 1956 for hitting, and Johan Santana

Johan Santana

Johan Alexander Santana is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who plays for the New York Mets. As a two-time Cy Young Award winner, Santana has established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball history....
in 2006

2006 in baseball

Headline Event of the Year*The 2006 World Baseball Classic is a surprise success, with high television ratings and exciting games. The final 4 teams are Japan, Cuba, Korea and the Dominican Republic, with the United States at 3-3 failing to qualify for the semi-finals....
for pitching.

Major League Winners - batting

Major League Winners - pitching

Batting Triple Crown losers

A Triple Crown loser is a player who finishes last in each of the three batting Triple Crown categories in his league. To be considered, the player must meet the same qualifications required for the league batting title

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of batsman and hitter, respectively. The two statistics are related, in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages....
. There has been a Triple Crown loser only twelve times, with one player, Freddie Maguire

Freddie Maguire

Freddie Maguire was a second baseman who played six years in MLB; 1922-23 with the New York Giants, 1928 with the Chicago Cubs, and 1929-31 with the Atlanta Braves....
, accomplishing this feat twice. One, Ozzie Smith, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, is a museum operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of baseball-related artifacts and exhibits, and the honoring of persons who have excel...
.

American League

National League

External links

at Baseball Reference