What is a Triple in Baseball? (Explained, Facts, and Other Information)

What is a triple?

A triple is a play where the hitter successfully hits the ball into fair play and reaches third base without the defense committing an error or attempting to put out another player (generally a runner from first base attempting to cross home plate).

Triples are abbreviated 3B, and may called by different names by announcers: three-bagger or three-base hit.

How many triples are there in a typical season?

The number of triples varies by season. In the most recent decade (2011-2019, omitting 2020 due to pandemic shortened season), teams combined for an average of 759 triples per season. That number is a bit misleading, though, since there were only 437 triples total in 2018 and 2019.

Table Showing Total Triples by Decade

You can see the declining trend across 20th and 21st century, particularly in the 2018 and 2019 season:

Are triples rare?

Triples are the rarest hit type (single, double, triple, home run). For example, Major League Baseball hitters were almost eight times more likely to hit a home run than a triple during the 2018-2020 seasons.

This is why a triple is sometimes called the most exciting play in baseball.

Why were there more triples in the late 19th and early 20th century?

Over at Hardball Times, Miles Wray provided some excellent reasons for why there may have been more triples in the early days of baseball:

1. Outfield Dimensions: outfields could be over 450 feet deep, whereas the deepest dimension of any baseball stadium in 2021 is 420 feet
2. Scouting Reports: teams better know where to position outfielders, and teams know which outfielders have good (and bad) arms
3. Groundskeeping: baseball outfields look pristine in modern times, and that was not so much the case in the early days of baseball

Who are the leaders for triples (single-season, team, career)

Career Triples Leaders

Sam Crawford has the most triples ever in baseball. Check out the top 10 triples leaders:

Career Triples Leaders (1980-2020)

In more recent years, Willie Wilson has the most career triples, though he has just 43% (132 vs. 309) the number of triples as career leader Sam Crawford.

Single-Season Triples Leaders (All-Time)

Owen Wilson owns the record for most triples in a season with 36. The next closer are Dave Orr and Heine Reitz. All players with at least 26 triples in a single season are listed below:

Single-Season Triples Leaders (1980-2020)

In more recent years (1980-2020), only five players have had at least 20 triples in a season. Curtis Granderson leads the way with 23.

Career Leaders for Each Team