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Not since 1924 has the Triple Crown of pitching been won in each league in the same Major League Baseball season, which means Justin Verlander of the Tigers and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers are on the verge of something historic.Both aces either lead or share the lead in their respective leagues for wins, ERA and strikeouts. Verlander tops the American League with 24 victories, a 2.29 ERA and 2 football scores today 44 strikeouts. Kershaw is tied with Arizona's Ian Kennedy for the National League lead with 20 wins (ties count), and leads with a 2.27 ERA and 242 strikeouts.True, there are so many other value-based metrics in use by clubs and fans today, but this collaboration is another thing to closely watch in these final six days of the regular season as a measure of domination. It has such little precedenc football scores today e, happening only three times long ago:1905: Rube Waddell of the Athletics led the AL with 27 wins, a 1.48 ERA and 287 strikeouts, while Christy Mathewson of the Giants led the NL with 31, 1.28 and 206. Although their clubs met in the World Series, that pitching matchup never happened because Waddell was lost late in the season with a shoulder injury that theorists have forever questioned due to g football scores today ambling pressures at the time. Mathewson and the Giants won the series in five.1918: Walter Johnson of the Senators led the AL with 23 wins, a 1.27 ERA and 162 strikeouts and Hippo Vaughn of the Cubs topped the NL with 22, 1.74 and 148. It would be the first of three Triple Crowns for the Big Train. Vaughn pitched three outstanding complete games in that World Series against the Red Sox, losing a football scores today pitcher's duel against Babe Ruth in the opener, and Boston won it all in six.1924: Johnson did it again in this season by racking up 23 wins, a 2.72 ERA (second-highest by any Triple Crown winner) and 158 strikeouts. Dazzy Vance of the Brooklyn Robins (now Dodgers) led the NL with 28 wins, a 2.16 ERA and 262 strikeouts. Johnson was lackluster in that Fall Classic against the Giants, but he made go football scores today od with a strong relief outing and the decision as Washington won it in seven on Earl McNeely's grounder in the 12th inning. So all three previous times, one of the two Triple Crown winners in that season pitched in the World Series. Verlander has the only such possibility now, but he has to help his team win three series whereas Mathewson, Vaughn and Johnson had just the World Series.One Triple C football scores today rown pitcher in a season has not been all that rare by itself. It has happened 15 times in both leagues. Jake Peavy was the most recent to accomplish it, for San Diego in 2007. A year earlier, Johan Santana became the latest to do it in the AL, for Minnesota.Peavy's last start to secure his Triple Crown actually was notable for another event: It was Barry Bonds' final game. Bonds was 0-for-3 that football scores today day against Peavy at AT T Park."He probably had his worst stuff of the year tonight," Padres catcher Josh Bard said of Peavy that day. "He's found a way to win without his best stuff. That's where you start separating yourself as an elite player in this game."Johnson (1913, '18, '24), Grover Cleveland Alexander (1915, '16, '20) and Sandy Koufax (1963, '65, '66) share the lead for most pitching Tri football scores today ple Crowns with three apiece.Verlander's Triple Crown seems fairly safe. He makes his final regular-season start Saturday night at home against Baltimore, bidding to become the first 25-game winner since Oakland's Bob Welch in 1990. Jered Weaver is the next-closest to Verlander in AL ERA at 2.41, and he is scheduled to start in a vital game for the Angels on Friday night against Oakland.Kennedy st football scores today arts at home Saturday against the Giants, and if he records his 21st victory that night, it means Kershaw has to keep pace the next day at San Diego. If both starters lose or get no-decisions, Kershaw still could win the Triple Crown, but he will have to hold onto the other two leads.Johnny Cueto, Kershaw's closest pursuer in ERA, is through for 2011 with a lat strain. So his ERA will stand at 2.3 football scores today 1, but with 156 innings pitched, he will fall shy of the 162-inning minimum to qualify for the ERA title.Kershaw has 10 more strikeouts than second-place challenger Cliff Lee of the Phillies. Lee's last start was Tuesday in a loss to Washington. Entering Friday his next scheduled start was unknown. If Kershaw is even average Saturday, this category should be his.The Triple Crown for batting is mor football scores today e rare than its pitching counterpart, which is one reason why it is also more celebrated. It has been won 14 times, most recently by Carl Yastrzemski for Boston in 1967. The only time that title happened in both leagues the same year was 1933, dominated by Philadelphia. Jimmie Foxx of the A's won in the AL with 48 home runs, 163 RBIs and a .356 average, while Chuck Klein of the Phillies won it in football scores today the NL with 28 homers, 120 RBIs and a .368 average.With Matt Kemp now in heavy pursuit of the Triple Crown batting title -- he is second with 36 homers, first with 118 RBIs and third with a .326 average -- it raises the possibility not only of the Dodgers celebrating two Triple Crowns the same season but also the only time other than 1966 that the pitching and batting versions happened the same ye football scores today ar. When Koufax won it for the Dodgers that year, Frank Robinson also won the batting Triple Crown for the Orioles. Robinson led those Orioles to a sweep of Koufax and the Dodgers in that World Series.Pitching Triple CrownPitchers who have led their league in wins, ERA and strikeouts:LEAGUEYEARPLAYERTEAMWINSERASOAL1901Young, CyBoston Americans331.62158AL1905Waddell, RubePhiladelphia Athletics271.4 football scores today 8287AL1913Johnson, WalterWashington Senators361.14243AL1918Johnson, WalterWashington Senators231.27162AL1924Johnson, WalterWashington Senators232.72158AL1930Grove, LeftyPhiladelphia Athletics282.54209AL1931Grove, LeftyPhiladelphia Athletics312.06175AL1934Gomez, LeftyNew York Yankees262.33158AL1937Gomez, LeftyNew York Yankees212.33194AL1940Feller, BobCleveland Indians272.61261AL1945Newhouser, HalDe football scores today troit Tigers251.81212AL1997Clemens, RogerToronto Blue Jays212.05292AL1998Clemens, RogerToronto Blue Jays202.65271AL1999Martinez, PedroBoston Red Sox232.07313AL2006Santana, JohanMinnesota Twins192.77245NL1905Mathewson, ChristyNew York Giants311.28206NL1908Mathewson, ChristyNew York Giants371.43259NL1915Alexander, GroverPhiladelphia Phillies311.22241NL1916Alexander, GroverPhiladelphia Phillies331.55 football scores today 167NL1918Vaughn, HippoChicago Cubs221.74148NL1920Alexander, GroverChicago Cubs271.91173NL1924Vance, DazzyBrooklyn Robins282.16262NL1939Walters, BuckyCincinnati Reds272.29137NL1963Koufax, SandyLos Angeles Dodgers251.88306NL1965Koufax, SandyLos Angeles Dodgers262.04382NL1966Koufax, SandyLos Angeles Dodgers271.73317NL1972Carlton, StevePhiladelphia Phillies271.97310NL1985Gooden, DwightNew York Mets241 football scores today .53268NL2002Johnson, RandyArizona Diamondbacks242.32334NL2007Peavy, JakeSan Diego Padres192.54240 football scores today
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