In 1912, Forbes Field in Pittsburgh was gripped by drama. There, with the whole city watching, J. Owen "Chief" Wilson of the Pittsburgh Pirates was in the process of rewriting baseball's history books as he hit thirty-six triples in one season.
Only two other players, previous record holders Dave Orr and Heinie Reitz, had ever hit more than thirty in a single season. Wilson himself never again (or before 1912 for that matter) collected half the triples he had in 1912, which turned out to be his career-defining year.
Wilson's talent for three-baggers was so evident in 1912, that he was expected to hit triples when he came up to bat. Anything else was a disappointment, as seen in this excerpt from the Pittsburgh Post, September 14, 1912:
"Wilson attempted to triple, but tapped the pellet a trifle too hard and floated it over the right field wall."
Other teams attempted shifts (yes, the same defensive shifts we see in the game today) to stop Wilson, but saw the ball fly over their heads or to the opposite field. Wilson's triple total even managed to eclipse the American League record also set in 1912, by Joe Jackson, tied in 1914 by Sam Crawford.
Baseball Almanac proudly presents a game-by-game look at all thirty-six of Chief Wilson's Major League record setting triples. Originally researched by Glenn Rooth.
"(Chief) Wilson's three base shots are entitled to be credited as one of the wonders of 1912. Best of it all, few of the smashes have struck in front of fielders. They have been over the their heads or between the fields, all juicy jams. Ask any pitcher if Wilson hits a high ball very hard." - The Sporting Life (September 7, 1912)
Chief Wilson Sets MLB Record for Most Triples in a Season1912 : The 36 "Three-Bagger" Season | Research by Baseball Almanac | Chief Wilson |
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Triple | Game | Date | Inning | Location | Opposing: | |
Pitcher | Team | |||||
1 | 2 | 04-13-1912 | 2nd | St. Louis | Bill Steele | Cardinals |
2 | 6 | 04-18-1912 | 9th | Pittsburgh | Slim Sallee | Cardinals |
3 | 9 | 04-23-1912 | 6th | Chicago | Mordecai Brown | Cubs |
4 | 11 | 04-27-1912 | 1st | Pittsburgh | Art Fromme | Reds |
5 | 11 | 04-27-1912 | 8th | Pittsburgh | Hanson Horsey | Reds |
6 | 15 | 05-03-1912 | 3rd | Pittsburgh | Larry Cheney | Cubs |
7 | 16 | 05-04-1912 | 4th | Pittsburgh | Ed Reulbach | Cubs |
8 | 25 | 05-21-1912 | 7th | Pittsburgh | Bill McTigue | Braves |
9 | 29 | 05-25-1912 | 4th | Pittsburgh | Jimmy Lavender | Cubs |
10 | 29 | 05-25-1912 | 6th | Pittsburgh | Jimmy Lavender | Cubs |
11 | 33 | 05-30-1912 | 3rd | Pittsburgh | Slim Sallee | Cardinals |
12 | 48 | 06-17-1912 | 8th | New York | Rube Marquard | Giants |
13 | 49 | 06-18-1912 | 9th | New York | Doc Crandall | Giants |
14 | 50 | 06-19-1912 | 4th | Pittsburgh | Joe Willis | Cardinals |
15 | 51 | 06-20-1912 | 2nd | Cincinnati | Bobby Keefe | Reds |
16 | 51 | 06-20-1912 | 10th | Cincinnati | Harry Gaspar | Reds |
17 | 52 | 06-20-1912 | 6th | Cincinnati | Art Fromme | Reds |
18 | 64 | 07-02-1912 | 8th | Pittsburgh | Larry Cheney | Cubs |
19 | 65 | 07-04-1912 | 4th | Pittsburgh | Ben Taylor | Reds |
20 | 70 | 07-08-1912 | 8th | Pittsburgh | Toots Schultz | Phillies |
21 | 77 | 07-16-1912 | 4th | Pittsburgh | Earl Yingling | Dodgers |
22 | 78 | 07-17-1912 | 9th | Pittsburgh | Christy Mathewson | Giants |
23 | 79 | 07-19-1912 | 3rd | Pittsburgh | Rube Marquard | Giants |
24 | 82 | 07-22-1912 | 3rd | Pittsburgh | Buster Brown | Braves |
25 | 84 | 07-25-1912 | 1st | Pittsburgh | Eddie Stack | Dodgers |
26 | 85 | 07-26-1912 | 1st | Philadelphia | Earl Moore | Phillies |
27 | 99 | 08-10-1912 | 6th | Brooklyn | Cliff Curtis | Dodgers |
28 | 106 | 08-16-1912 | 7th | Pittsburgh | Grover Alexander | Phillies |
29 | 114 | 08-23-1912 | 9th | Pittsburgh | Jeff Tesreau | Giants |
30 | 116 | 08-26-1912 | 6th | Pittsburgh | Otto Hess | Braves |
31 | 117 | 08-26-1912 | 6th | Pittsburgh | Ed Donnelly | Braves |
32 | 117 | 08-26-1912 | 8th | Pittsburgh | Ed Donnelly | Braves |
33 | 118 | 08-27-1912 | 4th | Pittsburgh | Walt Dickson | Braves |
34 | 129 | 09-07-1912 | 6th | St. Louis | Pol Perritt | Cardinals |
35 | 148 | 09-29-1912 | 8th | Chicago | Ed Reulbach | Cubs |
36 | 152 | 10-06-1912 | 9th | Cincinnati | Frank Gregory | Reds |
Triple | Game | Date | Inning | Location | Pitcher | Team |
Opposing: | ||||||
Bold = HOF | MLB Record for Most Triples in a Season | Chief Wilson |
Countless historians are quick to point out the dimensions of Forbes Field during the era (360' left field, 462' center field, 376' right field), but did you know that three Hall of Fame teammates (who also played in Forbes Field) never came close to the record: Max Carey (nineteen in 1923), Fred Clarke (fifteen in 1901, 1903, 1905 & 1908), and Honus Wagner (twenty-two in 1900).
Opposing teams tried to stop Chief Wilson, but it did not work as seen by this August 29, 1912 Pittsburgh Gazette article, "The Pittsburgh players are wondering how many more triples Chief Wilson will add to his already long list before the season closes. Foxy John Kling went to a great deal of trouble during the Boston series to place his outfield when Chief was at bat, but it was no discredit to the Boss of the Braves that his strategy failed as Wilson sent one long drive to extreme left, another to right and one to right center It is because he can drive hard to any field that he is so dangerous."
In the Minor Leagues, single seasons of nearly two-hundred games have been played throughout their rich and amazing history, yet the Minor League record for triples in a season is thirty-two, hit by Jack Cross, in 1925!