Batting triple Crown: HR RBI AVG an elusive achievement: since 1901, only 11 major league players have led their league in homers, runs batted in and hitting average in the same season

Baseball Digest, Nov, 2005 by Jack Etkin

Consider the Triple Crown plight of Ruth. He never won it despite being the A.L. leader or co-leader 12 times in home runs and six times in RBI and hitting .370 or better six times.

"I heard Frank Robinson say something," Lee said. "They were asking him about when he did it. He said, 'It just happens. You don't think about it. It just happens.'"

Robinson hit .316, the lowest batting average of any Triple Crown winner. Minnesota's Tony Oliva led the league in batting in 1964 (.323) and 1965 (.321) but in 1966 dipped to .307, which was second to Robinson.

Today's game includes specialists, at the plate and on the mound, which compounds the Triple Crown chase. A parade of relievers with varied repertoires can challenge hitters. And there are highly skilled contact hitters, no threats to lead a league in homers or RBI but perennial challengers in the batting race. Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki led the A.L. twice in his first four seasons with the Mariners. Rod Carew won six A.L. batting titles, one more than Wade Boggs. Tony Gwynn led the N.L. in hitting eight times.

Larry Walker, the N.L. MVP in 1997 with the Colorado Rockies, led the league with 49 homers that season and was third in RBI (130) behind Jeff Bagwell (135) and teammate Andres Galarraga (140). Walker hit .366 that season, finishing second behind Gwynn (.372) and convincing Walker how difficult it will be to win the Triple Crown.

"I think it's going to be ages until it gets done," said Walker, now with the Cardinals. "I think each category holds someone head and shoulders above everybody else. When I had my (shot at it), it was like you can try and win the Triple Crown but there's a guy named Tony Gwynn.... There's always one person that's tough to beat. Like in the American League, beating Manny Ramirez in RBI.

"It's not so much can you win the Triple Crown, (as) can you beat this one guy in this category, because there's always somebody who dominates in that category year after year. There's very few special breeds who dominate in all three."

GREAT PROGRESS

Lee began his career in the San Diego organization, reached the Padres briefly in 1997 and after that season was traded to Florida in the deal that brought pitcher Kevin Brown to San Diego.

The right-handed-hitting Lee has always driven the ball well to fight-center, but Bill Robinson estimated the 385-foot alley in right-center in Dolphins Stadium cost Lee five to 10 home runs a season with Florida. In Wrigley Field, the alley in right-center is a more forgiving 368 feet.

Wrigley Field is by no means the only reason for Lee's surge. He entered the 2005 season with a lifetime average of .228 in March/April and .231 in May. Lee said in spring training he typically must work to get his swing right for the season. This year was happily different. Lee said he worried about the results and tried to get hits, like he would during the season. He was able to carry the good leering he had at the plate in the Cactus League into the regular season.

Lee hit .419 in April with seven homers and 28 RBI and followed that up with a bountiful May--.313 with nine homers and 18 RBI.