Triple Crown Near Misses
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Willie McCovey
Giants, 1969
.320 avg., 45 HR, 126 RBI's
No player has won baseball's hitting Triple Crown by leading his respective league in batting average, home runs and RBIs since Boston's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 but several players have come close."
McCovey led the National League in home runs and batting average in each of the first two seasons after Carl Yastrzemski won the last Triple Crown in 1967. In 1969, he posted his only full-season average over .300, but his .320 mark still fell 24 points shy of Pete Rose, who led the majors in batting average in both of McCovey's "double-crown" seasons.
McCovey led the National League in home runs and batting average in each of the first two seasons after Carl Yastrzemski won the last Triple Crown in 1967. In 1969, he posted his only full-season average over .300, but his .320 mark still fell 24 points shy of Pete Rose, who led the majors in batting average in both of McCovey's "double-crown" seasons.
