Pirates History: Chief Wilson Triples in Fifth Consecutive Game
Prior to the time of Babe Ruth, the triple was considered to be the sign of a true power hitter. On this day in 1912, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Chief Wilson slugged his way into this history books by hitting a triple in his fifth consecutive game.
The triple may be one of the more exciting plays in the game. There is just something about watching a player racing around the bases, striving to get to third ahead of the throw, that captures the imagination. Perhaps it is a holdover from the early days of the game, when the triple was the premier power hit of the time.
As such, during the 1912 season, few players were as exciting to watch as Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Chief Wilson. On this day in 1912, Wilson set a record by hitting a triple in his fifth consecutive game. He started the day by hitting two triples in the first game of a double header, including a tenth inning RBI triple. Wilson then added another one in the nightcap, setting the record.
An outfielder with the Pirates, Wilson had the advantage of playing in Forbes Field, which was known as a triples paradise. The Pirates led the National League by a wide margin that year, with Wilson hitting a record 36 triples himself. Of course, it was also the Year of the Triple, with the NL hitting 865 triples in total that year.
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Over the course of his career, Wilson was a triples machine. In his nine year career, he had six seasons with ten or more triples, and finished in the top five in three base hits four times. His 114 triples overall are still in the top 200 of all time, an impressive accomplishment for a player who had as few seasons as he did.
Interestingly enough, Wilson was not much of a speedster. He stole 92 bases in his career, which is far less than one would expect for a player who hit that many triples. Likewise, Wilson’s career high of 17 steals in 1909 would not indicate that he would be such a triple threat.
On this day in 1912, Chief Wilson set a record by hitting a triple in his fifth consecutive game. Chances are, that record will be safe for some time.