What Is the Triple Crown in Baseball?
Quick answer
Leading the league in batting average, home runs and RBIs in the same season. Pitchers win it by leading in wins, strikeouts and ERA.
In this article
In baseball, a hitter wins the Triple Crown by leading his league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in (RBIs) in the same season. There's also a pitching Triple Crown: leading the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA. (Horse racing has its own Triple Crown, but it has nothing to do with baseball.)
The hitting Triple Crown
It's rare because the three stats reward different skills: batting average rewards contact, home runs reward power, and RBIs depend on teammates getting on base.
Recent hitting Triple Crown winners:
| Player | Team | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Miguel Cabrera | Detroit Tigers | 2012 |
| Carl Yastrzemski | Boston Red Sox | 1967 |
| Frank Robinson | Baltimore Orioles | 1966 |
| Mickey Mantle | New York Yankees | 1956 |
| Ted Williams | Boston Red Sox | 1942, 1947 |
Rogers Hornsby also won it twice, in 1922 and 1925.
The pitching Triple Crown
Pitchers win it by leading their league in wins, strikeouts and ERA. It's become a little more common than the hitting version:
- Sandy Koufax won it three times (1963, 1965, 1966).
- Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw both won it in 2011.
- Shane Bieber won it in 2020.
- Chris Sale (NL) and Tarik Skubal (AL) both won it in 2024.
Why it's so hard
To win the hitting Triple Crown, a player has to beat the league's best contact hitter in average and its best slugger in home runs, while hitting behind teammates who get on base. A single great season usually isn't enough; it takes a great season with no one else having one in the same category.
Related terms
More definitions: baseball terms explained.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Triple Crown in baseball?
A hitter wins the Triple Crown by leading his league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in during the same season. Pitchers win it by leading in wins, strikeouts and ERA.
Who was the last hitter to win the Triple Crown?
Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, in 2012. Before him, the last was Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.
Who has won the pitching Triple Crown recently?
In 2024, both Chris Sale in the National League and Tarik Skubal in the American League won it. Shane Bieber won it in 2020.
Has anyone won the Triple Crown twice?
Yes. Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams each won the hitting Triple Crown twice, and Sandy Koufax won the pitching Triple Crown three times.
