The triple crown is not quite on the pedestal of Cal Ripken’s games played streak, but it is still a relatively rare award. Morseo for hitters than pitchers.
Before taking a look at who has won it, first let’s make sure everyone knows just what it is.
What is the MLB Triple Crown?
The batting triple crown is a hitting achievement that occurs when a player leads their respective league (American or National) in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI). Similarly, the pitching triple crown occurs when a player leads their respective league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average (ERA).
Who has won the Batting Triple Crown?
16 different hitters have won the batting triple crown in 18 total seasons, which means two hitters have won the award twice: Roger Hornsby (1922 and 1925) and Ted Williams (1942 and 1947).
Green highlight indicates the highest average or most RBI/HR among all Triple Crown Winners.
Red highlight indicates the lowest average or least RBI/HR among all Triple Crown Winners.
Player Name | Team | Year | Position | League | HR | RBI | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paul Hines | Providence Grays | 1878 | Center fielder | NL | 4 | 50 | 0.358 |
Tip O’Neill | St. Louis Browns | 1887 | Left fielder | AA | 14 | 123 | 0.435 |
Hugh Duffy | Boston Beaneaters | 1894 | Outfielder | NL | 18 | 145 | 0.44 |
Nap Lajoie | Philadelphia Athletics | 1901 | Second baseman | AL | 14 | 125 | 0.426 |
Ty Cobb | Detroit Tigers | 1909 | Right fielder | AL | 9 | 107 | 0.377 |
Heinie Zimmerman | Chicago Cubs | 1912 | Third baseman | NL | 14 | 104 | 0.372 |
Rogers Hornsby | St. Louis Cardinals | 1922 | Second baseman | NL | 42 | 152 | 0.401 |
Rogers Hornsby | St. Louis Cardinals | 1925 | Second baseman | NL | 39 | 143 | 0.403 |
Jimmie Foxx | Philadelphia Athletics | 1933 | First baseman | AL | 48 | 163 | 0.356 |
Chuck Klein | Philadelphia Phillies | 1933 | Right fielder | NL | 28 | 120 | 0.368 |
Lou Gehrig | New York Yankees | 1934 | First baseman | AL | 49 | 165 | 0.363 |
Joe Medwick | St. Louis Cardinals | 1937 | Left fielder | NL | 31 | 154 | 0.374 |
Ted Williams | Boston Red Sox | 1942 | Left fielder | AL | 36 | 137 | 0.356 |
Ted Williams | Boston Red Sox | 1947 | Left fielder | AL | 32 | 114 | 0.343 |
Mickey Mantle | New York Yankees | 1956 | Center fielder | AL | 52 | 130 | 0.353 |
Frank Robinson | Baltimore Orioles | 1966 | Right fielder | AL | 49 | 122 | 0.316 |
Carl Yastrzemski | Boston Red Sox | 1967 | Left fielder | AL | 44 | 121 | 0.326 |
Miguel Cabrera | Detroit Tigers | 2012 | Third baseman | AL | 44 | 139 | 0.33 |
Who has won the Pitching Triple Crown?
Green highlight indicates the lowest earned run average or the highest number of wins or strikeouts among all Pitching Triple Crown Winners.
Red highlight indicates the highest earned run average or the lowest number of wins or strikeouts among all Pitching Triple Crown Winners.
Player Name | League | Year | Team | ERA | Wins | Strikeouts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tommy Bond | NL | 1877 | Boston Red Caps | 2.11 | 40 | 170 |
Guy Hecker | AA | 1884 | Louisville Colonels | 1.8 | 52 | 385 |
Charles Radbourn | NL | 1884 | Providence Grays | 1.38 | 59 | 441 |
Tim Keefe | NL | 1888 | New York Giants | 1.74 | 35 | 335 |
John Clarkson | NL | 1889 | Boston Beaneaters | 2.73 | 49 | 284 |
Amos Rusie | NL | 1894 | New York Giants | 2.78 | 36 | 195 |
Cy Young | AL | 1901 | Boston Americans | 1.62 | 33 | 158 |
Christy Mathewson | NL | 1905 | New York Giants | 1.27 | 31 | 206 |
Rube Waddell | AL | 1905 | Philadelphia Athletics | 1.48 | 27 | 287 |
Christy Mathewson | NL | 1908 | New York Giants | 1.43 | 37 | 259 |
Walter Johnson | AL | 1913 | Washington Senators | 1.14 | 36 | 243 |
Grover Cleveland Alexander | NL | 1915 | Philadelphia Phillies | 1.22 | 31 | 241 |
Grover Cleveland Alexander | NL | 1916 | Philadelphia Phillies | 1.55 | 33 | 167 |
Walter Johnson | AL | 1918 | Washington Senators | 1.27 | 23 | 162 |
Hippo Vaughn | NL | 1918 | Chicago Cubs | 1.74 | 22 | 148 |
Grover Cleveland Alexander | NL | 1920 | Chicago Cubs | 1.91 | 27 | 173 |
Walter Johnson | AL | 1924 | Washington Senators | 2.72 | 23 | 158 |
Dazzy Vance | NL | 1924 | Brooklyn Robins | 2.16 | 28 | 262 |
Lefty Grove | AL | 1930 | Philadelphia Athletics | 2.54 | 28 | 209 |
Lefty Grove | AL | 1931 | Philadelphia Athletics | 2.06 | 31 | 175 |
Lefty Gomez | AL | 1934 | New York Yankees | 2.33 | 26 | 158 |
Lefty Gomez | AL | 1937 | New York Yankees | 2.33 | 21 | 194 |
Bucky Walters | NL | 1939 | Cincinnati Reds | 2.29 | 27 | 137 |
Bob Feller | AL | 1940 | Cleveland Indians | 2.61 | 27 | 261 |
Hal Newhouser | AL | 1945 | Detroit Tigers | 1.81 | 25 | 212 |
Sandy Koufax | NL | 1963 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1.88 | 25 | 306 |
Sandy Koufax | NL | 1965 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2.04 | 26 | 382 |
Sandy Koufax | NL | 1966 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1.73 | 27 | 317 |
Steve Carlton | NL | 1972 | Philadelphia Phillies | 1.97 | 27 | 310 |
Dwight Gooden | NL | 1985 | New York Mets | 1.53 | 24 | 268 |
Roger Clemens | AL | 1997 | Toronto Blue Jays | 2.05 | 21 | 292 |
Roger Clemens | AL | 1998 | Toronto Blue Jays | 2.65 | 20 | 271 |
Pedro Martínez | AL | 1999 | Boston Red Sox | 2.07 | 23 | 313 |
Randy Johnson | NL | 2002 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 2.32 | 24 | 334 |
Johan Santana | AL | 2006 | Minnesota Twins | 2.77 | 19 | 245 |
Jake Peavy | NL | 2007 | San Diego Padres | 2.54 | 19 | 240 |
Clayton Kershaw | NL | 2011 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2.28 | 21 | 248 |
Justin Verlander | AL | 2011 | Detroit Tigers | 2.4 | 24 | 250 |