Carl Yastrzemski's Triple Crown (1967)

Lore & Background

In 1967 Yastrzemski achieved a peak in his career, leading the Red Sox to the American League pennant for the first time in over two decades and being voted the 1967 American League MVP. Yastrzemski also won the Triple Crown that year, something not accomplished again in the Major Leagues until Miguel Cabrera did so in 2012. Yastrzemski's Triple Crown win in 1967 was the last time a major league hitter won the Batting Triple Crown until Miguel Cabrera in the 2012 season. He was voted Most Valuable Player almost unanimously (one voter chose César Tovar of the Twins).

In Their Own Story

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across Fenway Park as Carl Yastrzemski stepped into the batter's box, the weight of the city on his shoulders. The crowd held its breath, not just for a hit, but for history. With a sharp crack that echoed off the Green Monster, he sent the ball soaring toward right field, another step closer to immortality. In that moment, the impossible seemed within reach.

Reader's Guide

Yastrzemski enjoyed his best season in 1967, when he won the American League Triple Crown with a .326 batting average, 44 home runs (tied with Harmon Killebrew), and 121 RBIs. 1967 was the season of the "Impossible Dream" for the Red Sox, who rebounded from a ninth-place finish a year before to win the American League pennant (their first since 1946) on the last day of the season. With the Red Sox battling as part of a four-team pennant race, Yastrzemski hit .513 (23 hits in 44 at-bats) with five home runs and 16 runs batted in over the last two weeks of the season, and the Red Sox finished a mere one game ahead of the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins. The Red Sox lost the World Series four games to three to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Did You Know?

• Yastrzemski is the Red Sox's all-time leader in career RBIs, runs, hits, singles, doubles, total bases, and games played.
• He is second on the all-time list for games played, and third for total at-bats.
• Yastrzemski became the first Little League player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• He hit for the cycle on May 14, 1965, in a 12–8 Red Sox loss to the Detroit Tigers.