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When you say the term "triple crown" to a sports fan, he or she will most likely think of horse racing, where the triple crown is the term given to the three biggest races of the year, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes. But there are also two separate triple crown references in Major League Baseball, one for hitters and one for pitchers. The batting triple crown goes to the hitter who, at the end of the season, leads the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI), which have traditionally been considered the most important hitting stats. The pitching triple crown goes to the pitcher who, at the end of the season, leads the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average (ERA).

While both of these achievements are undoubtedly difficult to attain, a quick look at baseball history shows that perhaps the batting triple crown is a bit harder. In fact, since 1878, only 16 players have ever won the batting triple crown. The list of past winners includes greats such as Rogers Hornsby (who won it twice), Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams (who also won it twice), and Mickey Mantle. The most recent player to win the triple crown was Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox, who won it in 1967. It's interesting to note that Cobb won the triple crown in 1909 despite hitting only 9 home runs, a feat that would never happen in today's game. Also, the brilliant Frank Robinson won the triple crown in 1966 with a relatively low batting average of .316. I think it's safe to say that that number wouldn't be enough to win the title today, either.

On the pitching side, there have been 33 triple crown seasons since 1877, with many of those being repeat performances. This list contains such immortal names as Walter Johnson (who won it three times), Cy Young, Grover Alexander (also a three-time winner), and Sandy Koufax (also three times). We have seen a few modern pitchers win the triple crown, including Dwight Gooden in 1985, Roger Clemens in 1997 and 1998, Pedro Martinez in 1999, and Randy Johnson in 2002. So in a span of 6 years, the feat was accomplished 4 times, including back-to-back wins by Clemens.

This year, there is currently one player that has a legitimate shot at the batting triple crown. Derrek Lee of the Chicago Cubs is leading the major league in batting average with a .377, which is more than 20 points ahead of second place. Lee trails in the home run category by 2, and needs 10 RBI to take over the lead in that category. Those are all attainable levels, especially since the Cubs have a pretty solid lineup. Pitchers have to face Lee because he's got Aramis Ramirez, with his 18 homers and .304 average, batting behind him. Lee also has the luxury of playing in the relatively small confines of Wrigley Field for half of his remaining games. Let's see if he can get it done!