Before we say anything about the Triple Crown race, let’s make something clear: The players involved don’t have much to say.
It’s September, and their focus is on the playoffs, not individual awards. The Triple Crown is something to appreciate after it happens, not while it’s happening.
“There’s an individual aspect to this game, no question,” said Reds first baseman Joey Votto, one of three National League players in contention for the game’s first Triple Crown in 43 years. “A lot of people glorify individuals in this game, but when you have an opportunity to do some winning and change the direction of a franchise, you don’t put yourself ahead of that.”
While it may not come with many sound bites, the great Triple Crown race of 2010 could be not just a sight to behold, but a unique slice of baseball history. And for a lot of reasons. First on the list: There are multiple candidates — Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez, St. Louis’ Albert Pujols, and Votto.
The Rockies are trying to have another September to remember and they might pull it off, thanks in part to CarGo’s breakthrough season.
“I was always dreaming about being a really good player, but you never expect to win anything crazy like that,” Gonzalez said. “We’re here to win the division. Everything else comes after that. If we make the playoffs, I’d be the happiest man on Earth.”
Having a Triple Crown contender this late in the season is rare. The last player to lead all three categories in September was the White Sox’s Dick Allen in 1972. But having three contenders?
“You’re talking about a player who’s going to lead the league in hitting, home runs and RBIs. I mean, that’s a mouthful now,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “It’s fun to watch every day, I promise you that.”
CarGo jumps in race
Feel free to add another factor to this great race: All three players are on teams fighting for playoff spots. There’s no stats-padding Olympics going on here. There will be no sitting out a game to maintain a league-leading batting average.
“You don’t have any lapses at all,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “We’re trained to win, and it’s a lot easier to play for something and play for your team than it is just to play for yourself and your own stats.
“You really don’t see anybody sit down during this period of time. You don’t see guys sit on their averages. These guys can’t afford to.”
The Triple Crown battle has taken many twists and turns. A month ago, Votto and Pujols were the only names in the conversation. As recently as Aug. 24, it was easy to look at the incomparable Pujols and assume he was the front-runner. He was hitting .322, one point behind Votto and three points ahead of Gonzalez.
But CarGo has gone off since then to raise his average to .340 and take a commanding lead in that category. He’s also jumped ahead in RBIs. Pujols, meanwhile, has slumped, with eight hits in 46 at-bats to drop to .309 going into Wednesday’s games. Pujols leads the league with 36 homers and is third in RBIs, but CarGo’s sizzling streak may have knocked him out of contention.
If so, Votto isn’t saying it. His view of the race is simple: Until Pujols drops out, he’s the favorite.
“Albert has probably had a subpar year for himself and he’s still in the Triple Crown chase, which pays tribute to his greatness,” Votto said. “I’ve been asked a lot of questions about myself and him, and it’s unfair in every way, shape and form. Carlos and myself are younger players trying to establish ourselves. Albert is already a lock Hall of Famer and one of the greatest hitters of all time.”
So who’s the leader in the clubhouse? Pujols may have history on his side, and Votto, a native of Toronto, may have an entire nation pulling for him, but CarGo is blistering hot and has Coors Field working in his favor.
Race X factor: Humidor
Humidor or no humidor, it figures to be a factor. That’s not an opinion so much as a history lesson. Fact: Of the six players to lead the league in two of the three Triple Crown categories since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski last won it in 1967, three have been Rockies. Dante Bichette led the league in home runs and RBIs in 1995. Todd Helton led in batting average and RBIs in 2000. And Matt Holliday led in batting average and RBIs in 2007. Fast forward to 2010, with Gonzalez leading in average and RBIs, and third in home runs with 32, tied with Votto, four behind Pujols. The Rockies play 13 of their final 23 games at home, where Gonzalez in his last 28 games has hit over .450 with 16 home runs and 41 RBIs. It could well come to pass, then, that CarGo is leading in all three categories in the final weekend of the season when the Rockies play at . . . where else, St. Louis, with Pujols in the building.
“It would be totally awesome if I get a chance to win it,” Gonzalez said. “If I do it, it would be because I had a pretty good last month. And that would mean we’re winning. We’re here to go to the postseason, no matter what.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
Baseball’s elite club: Triple Crown winners
There have been 11 Triple Crown winners since 1900, including two two-time winners: Rogers Hornsby in 1922 and 1925, and Ted Williams in ’42 and ’47.
The Cardinals’ Joe “Ducky” Medwick was the last player in the NL to win the Triple Crown, in 1937.
No player has won the Triple Crown since 1967, when Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski did so. Before that, the longest gap between winners was 10 years — Mickey Mantle in 1956 and Frank Robinson in 1966.
There have been six players since 1967 who’ve won two of the three Triple Crown categories, and three have been Rockies: Dante Bichette (1995), Todd Helton (2000) and Matt Holliday (2007).
Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
