I do not want to let the regular season recede too far in the rear view mirror without noting the positively fantastic season of Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, who won the Triple Crown in the American League this year. (I don't have to explain what that means, do I?) This feat has been accomplished in the modern era of major league baseball only 13 times before this season, and was last accomplished in 1967 - FORTY-FIVE YEARS AGO!
By contrast, there have been 276 no-hitters pitched in the modern era. While true greats like Walter Johnson, Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax, Warren Spahn and others have pitched no-hitters, so have journeymen and scrubinis like Bobo Holloman, Bo Belinsky, Don Larsen, Bob Moose, and Francisco Cordova. A no-hitter is a great accomplishment, but history has proven that almost anyone can throw one.
By contrast, here are the guys who have won a Triple Crown:
Nap Lajoie
Ty Cobb
Rogers Hornsby (twice!)
Chuck Klein
Jimmy Foxx
Lou Gehrig
Joe Medwick
Ted Williams
Mickey Mantle
Frank Robinson
Carl Yastrzemski
That's it. That's the list. What else do these guys have in common besides winning the Triple Crown? They are all, each one of them, in the Hall of Fame.
Miguel Cabrera has truly joined Baseball Royalty in 2012.
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