Houston Astros Jordan Alvarez (right) slugs a two run double in front of Texas Rangers catch Austin Wynns (left) at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Sun Aug 2, 2026 (AP News photo)
The Triple Crown – The Forgotten Award
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi-González
The last American League player to win the batting Triple Crown was Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers in 2022. This season, Jordan Álvarez of the Houston Astros could become the first to win a Triple Crown since Cabrera. When Jordan Álvarez visited Oakland for the last time, he was fresh off signing a six-year, $115 million contract extension with the Houston Astros; it was in June of 2022.
I spoke with Alvarez in the Astros clubhouse before the game; he was quiet but happy when I congratulated him for his new contract. His home run power is well documented, but he doesn’t want to be called a slugger because he believes he is a hitter. Yes, and he is a great hitter with power, lots of power; there is no stadium in MLB that can hold him when he lifts the ball. As of Sun Aug 9 Alvarez is hitting .320, with 35 home runs, 86 RBIs, and 137 hits.
Although no Cuban-born player in Major League Baseball has won a Triple Crown, there is a Cuban-born player by the name of Martín Dihigo, who was a pitcher registered in official Major League history. I remember how revered Dihigo was in Cuba. His name in Cuba was El Inmortal” “El Maestro”. He won the Triple Crown in 1938 playing in the Mexican League, also in the Negro Leagues, which includes various stellar achievements. However, no Cuban-born player has won the Triple Crown in the American or National League.
Not easy to win a Triple Crown; you need to win the batting title, the home run title, and the RBI title, which has only been done by a handful of players, and they are all in the Hall of Fame
American League
- 1967: Carl Yastrzemski
- 1966: Frank Robinson (Baltimore Orioles)
- 1956: Mickey Mantle
- 1947 & 1942: Ted Williams
- 1934: Lou Gehrig
- 1933: Jimmie Foxx (Philadelphia Athletics)
- 1909: Ty Cobb
- 1901: Nap Lajoie
]
National League
- 1937: Joe Medwick (St. Louis Cardinals) – .374 BA, 31 HR, 154 RBI
- 1933: Chuck Klein (Philadelphia Phillies) – .368 BA, 28 HR, 120 RBI
- 1925: Rogers Hornsby (St. Louis Cardinals) – .403 BA, 39 HR, 143 RBI
- 1922: Rogers Hornsby (St. Louis Cardinals) – .401 BA, 42 HR, 152 RBI
- 1912: Heinie Zimmerman (Chicago Cubs) – .372 BA, 14 HR, 104 RBI
- 1894: Hugh Duffy (Boston Beaneaters) – .440 BA, 18 HR, 145 RBI
- 1887: Tip O’Neill (St. Louis Browns — then an NL/AA major league) – .435 BA, 14 HR, 123 RBI
Quote: “Never swing at a ball you’re fooled on or have trouble hitting.” — Ted Williams, two-time batting Triple Crown winner (1942, 1947)
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.
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