Big Mac – Two triples in his first MLB game.
Happy Anniversary Willie McCovey! Today is the anniversary of Hall of Famer Willie McCovey’s major league debut (July 30, 1959) – a game in which the big first baseman became just the third player to hit two triples in his first-ever MLB game. One player has joined that list since McCovey’s big day – and BBRT would like to use this post to look at the unique stories surrounding each of those four players, starting with McCovey.
Willie McCovey – Fewest Games Played of Any Position Player Winning ROY
McCovey is the only Hall of Famer on this list (and the only one with a cove named after him) – and he showed his HOF potential in his very first MLB game (July 30, 1959). In the Giants 7-2 win over the Phillies in San Francisco, the rookie 1B batted third, went four-for-four with two singles and two triples (in the fourth and seventh innings). Big Mac scored three runs scored and drove in two. (Not bad for the first day on the job, and the hits all came off future Hall of Famer Robin Roberts.)
Of course, few in the Giants’ dugout were surprised, the 21-year-old McCovey had a .372-29-92 line in 95 games at AAA when called up. McCovey’s hot start contributed to a rookie season that included a .354 average, 13 home runs and 38 RBI in 52 games. That earned him the 1959 NL Rookie of the Year Award and made him the position player with the fewest games played ever in a ROY season. McCovey’s story is the most powerful on the list of players who opened their MLB careers with a two-triple game. He is the only Hall of Famer, only Rookie of the Year, only league MVP (1969) and only member of the 500-home run club. His final MLB line: 22 seasons, .270 average, 521 home runs, 1,555 RBI.
Triple Trivia
Lance Johnson holds the record for consecutive seasons leading his league in triples (four); 1991-1994 – all for the Chicago White Sox. In 1996, Johnson – then with the Mets – led the NL in triples with 21. His five seasons leading his league in triples is one shy of Sam Crawford’s record. Crawford led the AL in triples five times while with the Tigers (1903, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1915) and the NL once (1902) with the Reds. Crawford holds the career triples record at 309.
Ed Irwin – Two Triples and Out for this One Game Wonder
The first player to strike a pair of triples (strike is a key word here) in his MLB debut was Detroit Tigers’ 3B Ed Irwin – a 30-year-old rookie who played his first MLB game on May 18, 1912. A few facts that make Irwin’s story unique: 1) His first MLB game was also his last; 2) His two triples were his only MLB hits; 3) He was on the field as a result of MLB’s first-ever player strike.
The story really started on May 15, 1912, when Tigers’ CF Ty Cobb went into the stands in New York and pummeled a (one-handed) fan who had been heckling him. This earned Cobb an indefinite suspension by AL President Ban Johnson (appropriate first name in this situation) – and led his teammates to go on strike (announced May 17) in his support. On May 18, the Tigers showed up for a game against the Athletics at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park. When told Ban’s ban would be enforced and Cobb could not play, the Tigers’ squad went back to the clubhouse. In their place, Detroit fielded a lineup made up of semi-pro and amateur ballplayers (all signed to one-day MLB contracts) – along with two of the Tigers’ coaches (Deacon McGuire and Joe Sugden, both in their forties). This hastily assembled bunch included the 30-year-old Irwin, who at least had some minor league experience (Class D and C). The Athletics, ultimately won the contest 24-2. The Tigers’ replacement squad got only four hits – one each by coaches Sugden (at 1b) and McGuire (at C) and two triples in three at bats by Irwin. As an aside, the Tigers’ starting pitcher Al Travers reportedly earned a $50 bonus for pitching a complete game – a nifty 24 hitter. Note: Ban Johnson canceled the Tiger next game (May 19) and that if Detroit didn’t field a competitive team all the players would be automatically suspended and fined. The players returned to the field (making it a one-game strike and ending Irwin’s MLB career) and Cobb was reinstated on May 26.
Triple Trivia
Eleven major league players have hit two triples in one inning – the most recent being the Rockies’ Cory Sullivan, in the fifth inning of a Colorado 10-4 win over the Padres in San Diego on April 9, 2006. Sullivan, playing CF and batting leadoff, tripled to open the inning (and later scored), then tripled again with none on and two out as the Rockies scored seven times in the frame. Sullivan also had a double in game.
Roy Weatherly – Storming Out of the Gate
The second player to notch two triples in his first-ever MLB game was Roy Weatherly, who made his debut in right field with the Indians on June 27, 1936. Like McCovey, he got off to a pretty good start. As the Indians topped the Red Sox 14-5 in Cleveland, the 5’6”, 170-pound Weatherly – with the nickname “Stormy” – went three-for-five with a single and two triples, one run scored and four RBI. Weatherly went on to hit .335-8-53 in 84 games in his rookie season. He played in ten MLB seasons (Indians, Yankees, Giants) – missing two complete campaigns serving in WW II – and ended up with a .286-43-290 line. Weatherly hit more triples (44) in his MLB career than home runs (43); while in 14 minor league seasons his homers outnumbered his triples 108 to 51.
Triple Trivia
The Chicago White Stockings hit a record five triples in one inning (the eighth), while defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 9-4 in the second game of a double heads on September 15, 1901. The White Stockings had a sixth triple in the game, giving them a share of the MLB record for triples in a single game as well.
John Sipin – Started with Triples … Starred in Japan
John Sipin made his major league debut for the San Diego Padres on May 24, 1969. The 22-year-old second baseman batted second and went two-for-four (tripling in each of his first two at bats), as the Padres lost to the Cubs 7-5 in San Diego. Sipin would play in 68 games for the Padres in 1969, hitting .223 with two triples, two home runs, 22 runs scored, nine RBI and two stolen bases. It was his only major league season – so those two debut-game triples were his only career three-baggers.
In 1970, Sipin was back at Triple A, where he hit .301, with 20 home runs in 135 games. He followed that with a .318-20-77 season at AAA in 1971. The call to the majors didn’t come, however, and Sipin went on to make a name for himself in Japan – where he played from 1972-1980. Sipin hit .297 in nine season in Japan, with 218 home runs and 625 RBI – and was the first foreign player to win a Japanese Gold Glove Award (1972 and 1973). Sipin hit over .300 five times and topped 20 home runs seven times (a high of 34 in 1975) in Japan.
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