Facts and Figures - Baseball batting champions

* There have been six players who have won a batting title for two different teams. They include Nap Lajoie (A's and Indians), Jimmie Foxx (A's and Red Sox), Rogers Hornsby (Cardinals and Braves), Lefty O'Doul (Phillies and Dodgers), Ernie Lombardi (Reds and Braves) and Bill Madlock (Cubs and Pirates).

* Two players have won a batting championship while playing with two different teams in the same season. Dale Alexander won the A.L. batting crown in 1932 while playing for both the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox. Harry Walker captured the N.L. title in 1947 while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals. Note: Willie McGee became the first player to win a batting title in one league and finish the season in the other major league. McGee won the 1990 N.L. batting championship for the Cardinals, but finished the season as a member of the Oakland A's in the American League after he was traded on August 29 of that season. Despite missing the final month in the N.L., McGee still qualified with enough plate appearances for the league batting crown.

* On 23 occasions through 1999, a first baseman has won a league batting title, more than any other position. Next are right fielders with 21 followed by left field (20), center field (18), third and second base (11), shortstop (7), catcher (2) and designated hitter (1). Note: Three players won top hitting honors while splitting the season at different positions. Stan Musial won the N.L. title in 1950 while playing left field and first base for the Cardinals; Billy Goodman won the 1950 A.L. crown while playing the majority of his games at third base, first base and the outfield for the Red Sox and Frank Thomas split the 1997 season at first base and designated hitter for the White Sox when he led the A.L. with a .347 BA.

* Stan Musial won seven N.L. batting titles while playing four different positions. He won N.L. crowns in 1943 as a right fielder, 1946 and 1957 as a first baseman, 1948 and 1951 as a left fielder, 1952 as a center fielder and 1950 as a first baseman and left fielder.

* Other players who won batting titles while playing different positions include: Ty Cobb right field (1907-1909) and center field (1910-1915, 1917-1919), Pete Runnels as a second baseman (1960) and first baseman (1962), Rod Carew second base (1969, 1972-1975) and first base (1977-1978), George Brett third base (1976, 1980) and first base (1990), Edgar Martinez third base (1992) and DH (1995), Honus Wagner right field (1900) and shortstop (1903-1904, 1906-1909, 1911) and Pete Rose right field (1968, 1969) and left field (1973).

* In 1955, Al Kaline of the Tigers became the youngest league batting champion at 20 years, 9 months and six days. Ty Cobb was 20 years, 9 months and 18 days in 1907 when he won the first of his 12 American League batting titles for Detroit.

* The oldest player to win a hitting title was Ted Williams, who was 39 years old in 1958 when he captured his final crown with a .328 mark for the Boston Red Sox.

* The average age for a major league batting champion is 28.

* Through 1999, there have been only 13 players who have won a batting title and a World Series in the same season. They include Honus Wagner, Pirates (1909), Edd Roush, Reds (1919), Al Simmons, A's (1930), Chick Hafey, Cardinals (1931), Joe DiMaggio, Yankees (1939), Stan Musial, Cardinals (1946), Willie Mays, Giants (1954), Mickey Mantle, Yankees (1956), Dick Groat, Pirates (1960), Tommy Davis, Dodgers (1963), Frank Robinson, Orioles (1966), John Olerud, Blue Jays (1993) and Bernie Williams, Yankees (1998).

Historical Guidelines For Winning a League Batting Title

1920--A player must appear in at least 100 games to qualify as the league leader in batting average. Before 1920 there was no rule, but it was the practice that a man had to play in at least 60 percent of the scheduled number of games to qualify. The exception to this rule was in 1938 when the American League awarded the batting championship to Jimmie Foxx instead of Taffy Wright, who had a higher percentage and appeared in 100 games, but only had 263 at-bats.

1945--A player must have at least 400 at-bats to qualify as the league leader in batting average.

1950--A player must play in at least two-thirds of his team's scheduled games in order to qualify as the league leader in batting average.

1951--A player must have at least 400 times at bat to qualify as the league leader in batting average. However, if there is any player with fewer than the required number of times at bat whose average would be the highest if he were charged with this required at-bat total, then the player shall be recognized as the league leader.

1955--Batter no longer eligible to be the league leader in batting average if he does not have 400 times at bat, instead of the 1951 rule, which makes an exception to the required number of at-bats.

1957--A player must have a total of at least 3.1 plate appearances for every scheduled game to qualify as the league leader in batting average.