Three Bases — Baseball Bench Coach

Last weekend on a steamy summer afternoon my daughter and I attended a game at Wrigley Field. It was certainly one of those dog days of summer, as we settled (or maybe slid) into our seats with our baseball caps shielding the sun from our faces and cold drinks in hand. The game seemed to labor along until the fifth inning when the Cubs (now Giants) Kris Bryant lined a ball into the right centerfield gap dropping at the bottom of the ivy covered wall. You could see it in Bryant’s stride and hear it in the crowd’s reaction that this had the chance to be a triple. And it was, a rarity in the game today, and Bryant’s just second one of the season. For me, a triple has always been the most exciting play in baseball. Let’s take a look.

Scouring the all-time leaders lists in career and single season triples, it is pretty clear that triples trended in baseball 100 years ago in what was known as the “dead ball era”. Sam Crawford, whose 19 year MLB career spanned from 1899 to 1917, is the career leader with 309. The single season leader is Chief Wilson, who hit 36 three-baggers in 1912. Many say both records will never be broken. In the modern era, we have seen some baseball where triples were a big part of the game, mostly in the 1960s and 1980s when teams tried to manufacture runs. Today, triples are no longer commonplace for many reasons – modern ballparks tend to have smaller outfields; baseball strategy centers around the big inning with the home run packing the ultimate punch ; and hitters’ dedication to the so-called launch angle.

In second place on the all-time career triples list is a familiar name, Ty Cobb, with 295. Cobb’s place among the great baseball players of our past is a fascinating one. He holds the highest career batting average ever (.366), most career batting titles (11), and the career record for stealing home (54). During the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 1936, Cobb received the most votes (the group also included Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Honus Wagner). When the Sporting News in 1999 ranked “Baseball’s 100 Greatest Players”, Cobb came in third. And despite all of the records and fame, Cobb has always been seen as the bad apple. His career has been tarnished by allegations of poor character, much of which has been discredited.

Next week, on Wednesday, August 12, the rescheduled “Field of Dreams” game will be played in Dyersville, Iowa, between the White Sox and Yankees. Ty Cobb will not be among the invitees. You might recall Shoeless Joe Jackson’s comment in the 1989 movie about Cobb not receiving an invitation to play: “None of us could stand the SOB when he was alive, so we told him to stick it.” While this remark got a lot of laughs, it was actually far from the truth. Jackson and Cobb were very close friends in real life. Those in attendance next week will be 8,000 very lucky fans to see the first MLB regular season game ever played in Iowa. To get a ticket to the game, you must have an Iowa zip code. And if you can snag a ticket, your walk from the parking lot to the ballpark will be memorable; it’s a pathway through a cornfield!

Not only did Shoeless Joe Jackson take such a pathway in the 1989 movie, but I found him on the top ten list for triples in a season with 26 in 1912. To put that number (and the Pirates’ Chief Wilson’s all-time 36 that same year) in perspective, Arizona’s Eduardo Escobar (now with the Brewers) led MLB with 10 in 2019. Shoeless Joe’s numbers in his shortened career are truly outstanding. His career .356 batting average is the third highest in MLB history. As for triples, he holds to this day the Indians and White Sox records for triples in a season. Jackson’s career unfortunately ended in infamy, banned from playing after the 1920 season for his role in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal.

There’s one interesting name missing from the career and season triples lists, Rickey Henderson! Henderson is widely regarded as the best baserunner of all-time. He holds the single season record for stolen bases with 130 in 1982, and in terms of records never to be broken, he garnered 1,406 career steals. As a leadoff hitter, he not only got on base but often hit with power. His 295 career HRs are far more than other speedsters in the leadoff spot (Tim Raines is second with 170). And yet, surprisingly, Henderson just didn’t hit many triples. Many say that Henderson didn’t go for third base after a hit because he could easily steal it. He had a lifetime 82% success rate in stealing third base.

For me baseball in the 1980s meant “Whiteyball”, an exciting style of baseball named after Cardinals manager, Whitey Herzog, with an emphasis on pitching, defense, and baserunning. Yes, the St. Louis speedy batting order featured Ozzie Smith and Vince Coleman, but when I think of excitement, it’s all about centerfielder Willie McGee. McGee was the 1985 NL MVP when he led the league in batting average (.353), hits (216), and triples (18). The Cardinals won the Series in 1982, and lost in 7-game affairs in 1985 and 1987. In one playoff game, McGee lined the ball up an outfield gap and with head down, easily strolled into third base. What all the baseball world knew, except Willie, is that the relay throw had been mishandled, and McGee could have easily scored. McGee stayed at third with just another one of his triples. The next day’s sports headline said it best, “Willie McGee, Go Home!”

And then there’s the triple I’ll always regret. To set the stage, Vada Pinson starred as an MLB centerfielder for 18 seasons, mostly for the Reds. 1967 was a standout year for Pinson, one in which he batted .288, recorded 187 hits, stole 26 bases (4th in the NL), and led the league with 13 triples. On a summer night that year my Dad took me to Crosley Field to see the Reds play the Cubs. Chicago led the game, 6-2, going into the bottom of the eighth inning, when my Dad told me “it was time to beat the crowd and go home”. As we left the ballpark, we heard this huge roar. I urged my Dad to go back, to no avail. We soon learned on the car radio that Pinson had hit a triple to cut the lead to 6-4 going into the ninth inning. I sat quietly in the car listening to the rest of the game which the Reds pulled out, 7-6. For years, I used that game as my lesson to never leave a game early.

The lesson carried with me until that sultry summer afternoon with my daughter over a week ago. With the Cubbies losing I became my Dad, urging an early exit after the seventh inning stretch and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” had been sung. My heart sunk as we later learned that the Cubs had staged a small rally but fell short. I also need to leave a little early this year on my blog reporting. I hope to be back at it on a Monday morning very soon with new material and a fresh take on the end of the 2021 season.

Until next time,

your Baseball Bench Coach