[Willie Bee]

Who was the last player to lead his league in home runs and triples in the same season?

[Ganchrow]

Jim Rice 1978

[Willie Bee]

Correct. In 1978, Rice led the AL with 46 HR and 15 triples. Also, as tacomax pointed out in a PM a little while ago, Rice led the AL that year with 139 RBI.

Follow up: In that 1978 season, Rice became the first player in 19 years to reach/exceed 400 total bases in a single season. Rice had 406 total bases that season (46 HR, 15 Triples, 25 Doubles, 127 Singles). Who are the only four players to top 406 total bases in a single season since?

[clonecat]

Would have guessed Willie Mays myself. That is pretty impressive for Rice to lead the league in triples, playing in Fenway and I never remembered him to have much speed.

[Willie Bee]

Triples are a strange beast, clonecat. Fenway does have that weird area in center, and balls can come off the Monstah at funky angles.

For the record, more than half of Rice's triples came on the road. He also was on a torrid pace for triples before completely falling off at the All-Star break. He had five in a 6-day stretch in early July and had 13 triples compared to just 11 doubles on July 8th. He would have just two more three-baggers the rest of the way, and none after Aug 19th.

T# . DATE . . STADIUM
01 . Apr 07 . Comiskey
02 . Apr 17 . Fenway
03 . May 04 . Fenway
04 . May 04 . Fenway
05 . Jun 05 . Oakland Col
06 . Jun 10 . Kingdome
07 . Jun 15 . Fenway
08 . Jun 25 . Fenway
09 . Jul 03 . Fenway
10 . Jul 05 . Comiskey
11 . Jul 07 . Cleveland Mun
12 . Jul 08 . Cleveland Mun
13 . Jul 08 . Cleveland Mun
14 . Aug 10 . Fenway
15 . Aug 19 . Oakland Col

April 7th was the season opener for the Red Sox. The two on May 4th came in the same game. The two on July 8th came in separate games of a doubleheader.

[Uncle Joe]

Correct. In 1978, Rice led the AL with 46 HR and 15 triples. Also, as tacomax pointed out in a PM a little while ago, Rice led the AL that year with 139 RBI.

Follow up: In that 1978 season, Rice became the first player in 19 years to reach/exceed 400 total bases in a single season. Rice had 406 total bases that season (46 HR, 15 Triples, 25 Doubles, 127 Singles). Who are the only four players to top 406 total bases in a single season since?

Bonds and Mcgwire are two guesses.

[Ganchrow]

Sammy Sosa with 425 in 2001 and 416 in 1998
Luis Gonzalez with 419 in 2001
Barry Bonds with 411 in 2001
Larry Walker with 409 in 1997

Todd Helton came close with 405 in 2000

[Willie Bee]

Ganch's list is correct. Give a point to Uncle Joe for the Bonds notion.