- Mar 19, 2006
- 38,712
- 599
- 113
- 75
Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
Why Pujols' 3,000th hit matters
The countdown to Albert Pujols' 3,000th hit has ticked down to six, so it could happen this week. The Angels have series at home against the Yankees and the Orioles before moving on to Seattle. With Pujols nearing history, can we agree to suspend the harping about his below-replacement WAR and his unwieldy contract? Let's focus on the career of a player about to become just the fourth to record both 3,000 hits and 600 homers.
When he gets there, Pujols will join Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki and Texas' Adrian Beltre as active players in the 3,000-hit club. Is it unusual to have three players still active after having reached 3,000 hits? Yes, it's rare.
Seasons With 3 Active Players With 3,000 Hits By End Of Campaign
2001 (Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn, Rickey Henderson)
1993 (George Brett, Robin Yount, Dave Winfield)
1979 (Pete Rose, Carl Yastrzemski, Lou Brock)
1972 (Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente)
1925 to 1928 (Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Eddie Collins)
Pretty cool! There has never been a season in which four or more players have been active after reaching 3,000 hits. We can get back to bagging on Pujols in a couple of weeks. For now, let's just enjoy a unique moment in baseball history.
Why Pujols' 3,000th hit matters
The countdown to Albert Pujols' 3,000th hit has ticked down to six, so it could happen this week. The Angels have series at home against the Yankees and the Orioles before moving on to Seattle. With Pujols nearing history, can we agree to suspend the harping about his below-replacement WAR and his unwieldy contract? Let's focus on the career of a player about to become just the fourth to record both 3,000 hits and 600 homers.
When he gets there, Pujols will join Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki and Texas' Adrian Beltre as active players in the 3,000-hit club. Is it unusual to have three players still active after having reached 3,000 hits? Yes, it's rare.
Seasons With 3 Active Players With 3,000 Hits By End Of Campaign
2001 (Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn, Rickey Henderson)
1993 (George Brett, Robin Yount, Dave Winfield)
1979 (Pete Rose, Carl Yastrzemski, Lou Brock)
1972 (Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente)
1925 to 1928 (Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Eddie Collins)
Pretty cool! There has never been a season in which four or more players have been active after reaching 3,000 hits. We can get back to bagging on Pujols in a couple of weeks. For now, let's just enjoy a unique moment in baseball history.
