Whats A Triple Crown In Baseball?

A Triple Crown in baseball is when a batter leads the league in three statistical categories in the same season. The categories are home runs, batting average, and runs batted in.

What is a Triple Crown?

A Triple Crown in baseball refers to a batter who leads the league in three major statistical categories in the same season. Those categories are home runs, batting average, and runs batted in (RBI). Historically, the feat has been accomplished only a dozen times, with the most recent occurrence happening in 2012 when Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers won all three titles. The last National League player to win a Triple Crown was Joe Medwick, who did it for the St. Louis Cardinals way back in 1937.

The Three Parts of a Triple Crown

A Triple Crown in baseball is when a single player accumulates the three most important statistical achievements in hitting during a single season. Those three statistical achievements are leading the league in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. Players who have accomplished this Triple Crown feat are some of the most revered and accomplished hitters in baseball history.

Batting Average

Every year, baseball fans keep an eye on which players might have a chance at winning the coveted Triple Crown. This award goes to the player in each league who finishes the season leading in three major statistical categories: batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI). Although other sports have statistical crowns (such as the NFL’s sack crown or the NHL’s point crown), baseball’s Triple Crown is unique because it has only been accomplished 17 times in the history of Major League Baseball. Even more incredibly, it has been almost 50 years since the last Triple Crown was won!

In order to win a batting Triple Crown, a player must hit for a high average, hit a significant number of home runs, and drive in a large number of runs. These days, most players who win this award are also some of the best all-around hitters in the league. In addition to their ability to hit for power and average, they usually have high on-base percentages and walk rates. Many experts believe that the last player to truly deserve the title of “Triple Crown winner” was Carl Yastrzemski, who accomplished the feat in 1967.

Home Runs

A home run in baseball is when the batter hits the ball and scores a run without being thrown out. A home run is worth four points. A triple crown in baseball is when a batter hits three home runs in one game.

Runs Batted In

In order to be eligible to win the Triple Crown, a player must lead his league in three of the following statistical categories: batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI). Of these, batting average is the most important factor—in fact, every single Triple Crown winner since 1900 has also led his league in hits. Home runs and RBI are important as well, but batting average is what really sets a Triple Crown contender apart from the pack.

A Brief History of the Triple Crown

The term “Triple Crown” was first used in reference to baseball by sportswriter Frank Lanigan in 1878. He was describing Adonis Terry, a pitcher who led the National League in wins, strikeouts, and ERA.

The Triple Crown as we know it today—given to the player who leads his league in batting average, home runs, and RBI—was not instituted until 1945. The man most often credited with its creation is Babe Ruth, who did it twice: first in 1921 with the Yankees, and again in 1923. But Ruth actually fell short of the Triple Crown in 1924; he led the American League in home runs and RBI but finished third in batting average. It would be another 21 years before another player accomplished the feat.

In 1947, New York Yankees outfielder Yogi Berra won the Triple Crown with a .302 batting average, 28 home runs, and 124 RBI. It would be another 39 years before another player—Baltimore Orioles outfielder George Brett —would repeat the feat. Brett hit .390 with 24 home runs and 118 RBI in 1980. Since then, only two other players have won baseball’s most prestigious individual award: Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (.330 BA, 44 HR, 139 RBI) and Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 (.326 BA, 44 HR, 121 RBI).

Recent Triple Crown Winners

There have only been 17 players in MLB history to win a Triple Crown. The last player to accomplish this feat was Miguel Cabrera in 2012. Cabrera, who played for the Detroit Tigers, led the American League in batting average (.330), home runs (44) and runs batted in (139). The most recent Triple Crown winner before Cabrera was Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Yaz, who played his entire 23-year career with the Boston Red Sox, hit .326 with 44 home runs and 121 RBIs that season.

Why the Triple Crown is So Rare

The Triple Crown is baseball’s ultimate individual achievement. It occurs when one player leads the league in three specific statistical categories. To win the batting Triple Crown, a player must lead the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI). To win the pitching Triple Crown, a player must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average (ERA).

The last player to achieve either feat was Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers in 2012. He became just the 16th player in history to win the batting Triple Crown, and he did so with sterling numbers: a .330 batting average, 44 home runs, and 139 RBIs. Cabrera’s 2012 Triple Crown performance helped him win the American League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award that year.

Cabrera’s batting Triple Crown was the first since 1967 when Boston Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the feat. The last National League player to win a batting Triple Crown was Joe Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals way back in 1937. No pitcher has won a Triple Crown since Milwaukee’s Jim Kaat accomplished the feat in 1966; Bob Gibson of the Cardinals came close in 1968 when he led his league in wins (22), strikeouts (268), and ERA (1.12) but finished second to Denny McLain of Detroit in wins.