A unofficial award in baseball. Usually defined as the batter with the best batting average, and most RBIs and Home runs. Yaz was the last to win it.
The winner of the Belmont Stakes, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
Any individual who wins three different awards in an area.
The crown worn by the pope during the Reformation.
In the United States, a horse who wins the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Since most horses are born in the spring, they will be barely three years old and have less than one year of race experience (usually just a handful of starts) before the Derby. For a young, inexperienced horse, running over a mile at top speed can be very difficult, and to do it three times in five weeks has proven almost impossible. In addition, the Triple Crown races are only open to three year olds so each horse has just one chance.

Between 1988 and 1995, a bonus of five million dollars, called the Triple Crown Challenge, was offered to the winner of the three races by Chrysler Corporation. Between 1996 and 2005, the bonus was offered by VISA, but no horse was able to claim it. For 37 years, there were only eleven Triple Crown champions in history, until American Pharoah won the twelfth crown in 2015. Then Justify did it in 2018. More commonly, a horse wins two out of three races. The various race distances contribute: good sprinters may win the shorter contests but tire in the 1 1/2 mile Belmont. Conversely, horses with plenty of endurance might not have the quick speed needed to win the 1 3/16 mile Preakness. In this extremely competitive industry, it takes an all-around champion horse to add a name to the list of Triple Crown winners.

Winners of the Triple Crown:

The Triple Crown is also one of the laurels on offer in the Six Nations Rugby Championship. It is contested only by the home unions, i.e. England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland (the teams which originally made up the Four Nations championship, before the addition of France and later Italy). If one of these teams defeats each of the other three, they are awarded the Triple Crown; for example, if Ireland were to win their Six Nations matches against England, Scotland and Wales.

The Triple Crown is one of the many sub-challenges within the Six Nations. Others include the Calcutta Cup which is contested between England and Scotland.

Focusing on baseball, below's a list of batting Triple Crown winners (leading their league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in).

YearLeaguePlayerTeamAVGHRRBI
1878NLPaul HinesProvidence Grays.358450
1894NLHugh DuffyBoston Braves.43818145
1901ALNap LajoiePhiladelphia Athletics.42214125
1909ALTy CobbDetroit Tigers.3779115
1912NLHeinie ZimmermanChicago Cubs.37214103
1922NLRogers HornsbySt. Louis Cardinals.40142152
1925NLRogers HornsbySt. Louis Cardinals.40339143
1933NLChuck KleinPhiladelphia Phillies.36828120
1933ALJimmie FoxxPhiladelphia Athletics.35648163
1934ALLou GehrigNew York Yankees.36349165
1937NLJoe MedwickSt. Louis Cardinals.37431*154
1942ALTed WilliamsBoston Red Sox.35636137
1947ALTed WilliamsBoston Red Sox.34332114
1956ALMickey MantleNew York Yankees.35352130
1966ALFrank RobinsonBaltimore Orioles.31649122
1967ALCarl YastrzemskiBoston Red Sox.32644*121
2012ALMiguel CabreraDetroit Tigers.33044139

*= tied for league lead

Note that the batting Triple Crown went 45 years (1967-2012) without a winner.

The term Triple Crown is less frequently used in baseball for pitchers who top the league in ERA, wins, and strikeouts in the same season. The feat has been accomplished 38 times (39 if you count the 19th century American Association, which was a major league at the time).

YearLeaguePitcherTeamERAWinsK
1877NLTommy BondBoston Red Caps2.1140170
1884AAGuy HeckerLouisville Colonels1.8052385
1884NLCharles RadbournProvidence Grays1.3859441
1888NLTim KeefeNew York Giants1.7435335
1889NLJohn ClarksonBoston Beaneaters2.7349284
1894NLAmos RusieNew York Giants2.7836195
1901ALCy YoungBoston Americans1.6233168
1905NLChristy MathewsonNew York Giants1.4331206
1905ALRube WaddellPhiladelphia Athletics1.4827287
1908NLChristy MathewsonNew York Giants1.4337259
1913ALWalter JohnsonWashington Senators1.1436243
1915NLGrover Cleveland AlexanderPhiladelphia Phillies1.2231241
1916NLGrover Cleveland AlexanderPhiladelphia Phillies1.5533167
1918ALWalter JohnsonWashington Senators1.2723162
1918NLHippo VaughnChicago Cubs1.7422148
1920NLGrover Cleveland AlexanderChicago Cubs1.9127173
1924ALWalter JohnsonWashington Senators2.7223158
1924NLDazzy VanceBrooklyn Robins2.1628262
1930ALLefty GrovePhiladelphia Athletics2.5428209
1931ALLefty GrovePhiladelphia Athletics2.0631175
1934ALLefty GomezNew York Yankees2.3326158
1937ALLefty GomezNew York Yankees2.3321194
1939NLBucky WaltersCincinnati Reds2.2927137
1940ALBob FellerCleveland Indians2.6127261
1945ALHal NewhouserDetroit Tigers1.8125212
1963NLSandy KoufaxLos Angeles Dodgers1.8825306
1965NLSandy KoufaxLos Angeles Dodgers2.0426382
1966NLSandy KoufaxLos Angeles Dodgers1.7327317
1972NLSteve CarltonPhiladephia Phillies1.9727310
1985NLDwight GoodenNew York Mets1.5324268
1997ALRoger ClemensToronto Blue Jays2.0521292
1998ALRoger ClemensToronto Blue Jays2.6520271
1999ALPedro MartinezBoston Red Sox2.0723313
2002NLRandy JohnsonArizona Diamondbacks2.3224334
2006ALJohan SantanaMinnesota Twins2.7719245
2007NLJake PeavySan Diego Padres2.5419240
2011ALJustin VerlanderDetroit Tigers2.4024250
2011NLClayton KershawLos Angeles Dodgers2.2821248
2020*ALShane BieberCleveland Indians1.638122

* 2020 season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hence the low final stats for Bieber's win.

Thanks to AllergicToEverything for correcting my spelling on Jimmie Foxx (not "Jimmy")

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