With less than three weeks left in the regular season, Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a chance to etch his name in history as he pursues a Triple Crown, the rare feat in which a player leads his league in average, home runs and runs batted in.
Entering Wednesday, Sept. 9, Alvarez leads the AL in batting average (.311) and ranks second in homers (38) and RBIs (95), as the Astros cling to first place in the AL West. His 38 home runs are already a career high and he's sure to smash his career-best 104 RBIs.
There have been fewer than 20 Triple Crown winners in MLB history, most recently the Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera in 2012. Prior to Cabrera, it had been 45 years since a player had accomplished the feat, the Boston Red Sox's Carl
Yastrzemski in 1967.
Alvarez faces stiff competition in all three categories, with the Tampa Bay Rays' Chandler Simpson (.307) and Yandy Diaz (.306) also in contention for the batting title. Alvarez trails the Rays' Junior Caminero (39) by one home run entering Wednesday's games, and Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (97) by two RBIs for the AL lead.
Can Alvarez finish strong to join the exclusive club? Here's where the 29-year-old stands:
Yordan Alvarez stats: MLB Triple Crown race
Stats through games played Tuesday, Sept. 8
American League batting average leaders
- Yordan Alvarez, Astros – .311
- Chandler Simpson, Rays – .307
- Yandy Díaz, Rays – .306
- Chase DeLauter, Guardians – .294
- Jac Caglianone, Royals – .283
AL home run leaders
- Junior Caminero, Rays – 39
- Yordan Alvarez, Astros – 38
- Ben Rice, Yankees – 36
- Pete Alonso, Orioles – 34
- Colson Montgomery, White Sox – 31
AL RBI leaders
- Pete Alonso, Orioles – 97
- Yordan Alvarez, Astros – 95
- Junior Caminero, Rays – 93
- Ben Rice, Yankees – 88
- Jonathan Aranda, Rays – 86
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Yordan Alvarez win Triple Crown? Astros slugger chases history
