Triple (baseball) - Wikipedia

In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay (see error) nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.

Triples have become somewhat rare in Major League Baseball. It often requires a ball hit to a distant part of the field, or the ball taking an unusual bounce in the outfield. It also usually means that the batter hit the ball solidly, and be a speedy runner. (The inside-the-park home run is much rarer than a triple). The trend for modern ballparks to have smaller outfields (often increasing the number of home runs), it has ensured that the career and season triples leaders mostly consist of those who played early in Major League Baseball history, generally in the dead-ball era.

The triple is considered one of the most exciting plays in baseball. A triple is the hardest to achieve in terms of hitting for the cycle (a home run does not have to be "inside the park" to count towards the cycle).

Triples leaders, Major League Baseball

Player	Career length	Number of triples
Sam Crawford	1899-1917	309
Ty Cobb	1905-1928	295
Honus Wagner	1897-1917	252
Jake Beckley	1888-1907	243
Roger Connor	1880-1897	233
Tris Speaker	1907-1928	222
Fred Clarke	1894-1915	220
Dan Brouthers	1879-1904	205
Joe Kelley	1891-1908	194
Paul Waner	1926-1945	191

Season

Player	Year	Number of triples
Chief Wilson	1912	36
Dave Orr	1886	31
Heinie Reitz	1894	31
Perry Werden	1893	29
Harry Davis	1897	28
Jimmy Williams	1899	28
George Davis	1893	27
Sam Thompson	1894	27
Sam Crawford	1914	26
Kiki Cuyler	1925	26
Joe Jackson	1912	26
John Reilly	1890	26
George Treadway	1894	26

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Triples leaders, Major League Baseball

Season

See also