20–20–20 club

The 20–20–20 club is a term coined by sportswriters that describes a fairly exclusive group of Major League Baseball players: those who have reached the 20 double, 20 triple, and 20 home run plateaus in the same season.[1] As recently as 1979 (when there were only 4 members), one major publication called it "The most exclusive club in the Majors".[2]

Through the 2010 season, it has only been accomplished seven times.[3] The term "club" is used rather loosely, as it is generally used by sports writers and fans to group players together under a common heading.

Historically there are numerous players who have hit 20 doubles and 20 home runs in a year. It is the requirement for triples, however, that makes accomplishing the task so difficult.

In 2007, for the first time, two players accomplished this feat in the same season: Curtis Granderson and Jimmy Rollins. They each also recorded twenty stolen bases, joining the 20–20–20–20 club.

Contents

20–20–20 seasons

Name Team Year 2B 3B HR
Schulte, FrankFrank Schulte Chicago Cubs 1911 30 21 21
Bottomley, JimJim Bottomley St. Louis Cardinals 1928 42 20 31
Heath, JeffJeff Heath Cleveland Indians 1941 32 20 24
Mays, WillieWillie Mays New York Giants 1957 26 20 35
Brett, GeorgeGeorge Brett Kansas City Royals 1979 42 20 23
Granderson, CurtisCurtis Granderson Detroit Tigers 2007 38 23 23
Rollins, JimmyJimmy Rollins Philadelphia Phillies 2007 38 20 30

20–20–20–20 club

The 20–20–20–20 club refers to the group of people who have, in addition to fulfilling the requirements of the 20–20–20 club, also collected 20 or more stolen bases during their 20–20–20 season. Currently, Frank Schulte, Willie Mays, Curtis Granderson and Jimmy Rollins are members.[4][5]

Name Team Year 2B 3B HR SB
Schulte, FrankFrank Schulte Chicago Cubs 1911 30 21 21 23
Mays, WillieWillie Mays New York Giants 1957 26 20 35 38
Granderson, CurtisCurtis Granderson Detroit Tigers 2007 38 23 23 26
Rollins, JimmyJimmy Rollins Philadelphia Phillies 2007 38 20 30 41

Rollins also became the second player (along with Willie Mays) to record a 20–20–20 season and a 30–30 season in the same year, and the second player (along with George Brett) to collect more than 200 hits in a 20–20–20 season.

Rollins is the first (and currently only) player in Major League history to collect more than 200 hits during a 20–20–20–20 season.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Statistics". Baseball Digest (Evanston, IL, USA: Century Publishing) 49 (5): 8. May 1990. ISSN 0005-609X. "How many players have had 20 or more doubles, triples, and home rune in the same season? ... To further narrow the 20-20-20 club, has anybody else, besides Mays added 20 stolen bases ..." 
  2. ^ Wertz, Dennis M. (October 1979). "The Most Exclusive Club in the Majors: Since 1900, only four players have collected 20 doubles, triples, and homers in one season". Baseball Digest (Evanston, IL, USA: Century Publishing) 38 (10): 60–61. ISSN 0005-609X. "It may sound like an eye test for a three-eyed monster in a sci-fi movie, but the combination of 20-20-20 is the criterion for membership in one of baseball's most exclusive clubs." 
  3. ^ Associated Press (9 September 2007). "Granderson's 20th steal puts Tigers center fielder in select company". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3011789. Retrieved 8 December 2010. "Granderson has 22 triples -- the most by a Tiger since Ty Cobb had 24 in 1917 -- and 36 doubles. He hit his 20th homer Friday, becoming the sixth player since 1900 in the 20-20-20 club and the first since Kansas City's George Brett in 1979." 
  4. ^ Associated Press (30 September 2007), "Baseball: Rollins joins 20-20-20-20 club", Honolulu Advertiser (Honolulu, HI, USA), http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Sep/30/br/br0941826573.html, retrieved 8 December 2010, "Phillies star Jimmy Rollins tripled against Washington on today and joined Curtis Granderson, Willie Mays and Frank "Wildfire" Schulte as the only players in major league history with 20 stolen bases, 20 homers, 20 triples and 20 doubles." 
  5. ^ Swartz, Bryn (5 April 2009), "The Ultimate List: My 20 Greatest Moments as a Philadelphia Sports Fan", Bleacher Report (CBS Sports.com), http://bleacherreport.com/articles/151016-the-ultimate-list-my-20-greatest-moments-as-a-philadelphia-sports-fan, retrieved 8 December 2010, "Sept. 30, 2007: Glavine gets shelled/Brett Myers strikes out Wily Mo Pena to win division ... Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Jamie Moyer pitched 5 1/3 effective innings, Ryan Howard homered, and Jimmy Rollins collected his 20th triple to join the elusive 20-20-20-20 club." 
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