In
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
, a double is the act of a
batter striking the pitched
ball and safely reaching
second base without being called out by the
umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay (see
error
An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'.
In statistics ...
) or another
runner being put out on a
fielder's choice. A double is a type of
hit (the others being the
single,
triple
Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble":
Sports
* Triple (baseball), a three-base hit
* A basketball three-point field goal
* A figure skating jump with three rotations
* In bowling terms, three strikes in a row
* ...
and
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
) and is sometimes called a "two-bagger" or "two-base hit". For
statistical and
scorekeeping purposes it is denoted by 2B.
Description
Typically, a double is a well-hit ball into the
outfield
The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area.
In cricket, baseball a ...
that finds the "gap" between the
center fielder and one of the
corner outfielders, bounces off the outfield wall and down into the field of play, or is hit up one of the two foul lines. To hit many doubles, a batter must have decent hitting skill and power; it also helps to run well enough to beat an outfield throw.
Doubles typically drive in
runs from
third base, second base, and even from
first base at times. When
total bases and
slugging percentages are calculated, the number two is used for the calculation.
Teams sometimes position their fielders in a "no doubles" defense, meaning:
* Outfielders play relatively deep, to minimize the chance that a fly ball can land behind them.
*
Corner infielders play close to the foul lines, to minimize the chance that a ground ball can get by them and roll far into an outfield corner.
This defensive alignment is typically seen late in a game, when the team in the field is ahead by one or two runs.
Renowned doubles hitters occasionally acquire a nickname that relates to their doubles hitting, for example "Mitchy Two Bags" (
Mitch Moreland
Mitchell Austin Moreland (born September 6, 1985), nicknamed "2-Bags", is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres ...
) and "Tony Two Bags" (
Anthony Rendon).
Ground rule double
A two-base hit awarded by an umpire when a batted ball is hit fairly and bounces out of play is referred to as a
ground rule double. The batter is awarded second base and any runners advance two bases from the base they occupied at the time of the pitch. Prior to
1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
, such hits were considered
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s. A two-base hit awarded because the batter hit into a special situation defined in the ground rules is also defined as a ground rule double. An example of this occurs where the rules of Chicago's
Wrigley Field award a ground rule double if a batted ball is lost in the
vines on the outfield
bleacher
Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a ro ...
wall. At the
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, umpires awarded
Dave Kingman a ground rule double in a 1984 game, when a ball he hit became stuck in the roof, although no specific ground rule existed for that situation at the Metrodome at the time.
Major League Baseball records
Career
The all-time leader in doubles is
Tris Speaker
Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), he compiled a career ba ...
, with 792. The following players are the top 10 Major League doubles hitters of all-time:
#
Tris Speaker
Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), he compiled a career ba ...
– 792
#
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose Sr. (born April 14, 1941), also known by his nickname "Charlie Hustle", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Rose played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a membe ...
– 746
#
Stan Musial – 725
#
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the ...
– 724
#
Albert Pujols – 684
#
Craig Biggio
Craig Alan Biggio (; born December 14, 1965) is an American former second baseman, outfielder and catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career from 1988 through 2007 for the Houston Astros. A seven-time National League (NL) All ...
– 668
#
George Brett – 665
#
Nap Lajoie
Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie (; September 5, 1874 – February 7, 1959), also known as Larry Lajoie and nicknamed "The Frenchman", was an American professional baseball second baseman and player-manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...
– 657
#
Carl Yastrzemski – 646
#
Honus Wagner
Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (; February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955), sometimes referred to as "Hans" Wagner, was an American baseball shortstop who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1917, almost entirely for the Pitts ...
– 640
Derek Jeter has the most career doubles (32) in postseason history.
Season
Only five players in Major League history have reached 50 or more doubles in a season at least three times:
Tris Speaker
Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), he compiled a career ba ...
(1912, 1920–21, 1923, 1926),
Paul Waner (1928, 1932, 1936),
Stan Musial (1944, 1946, 1953),
Brian Roberts (2004, 2008–09) and
Albert Pujols (2003–04, 2012).
Individual season leaders:
#
Earl Webb (
1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
) – 67
#
George Burns
George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...
(
1926
Events January
* January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece.
* January 8
**Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz.
** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...
) – 64
#
Joe Medwick
Joseph Michael Medwick (November 24, 1911 – March 21, 1975), nicknamed "Ducky" and "Muscles", was an American Major League Baseball player. A left fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals during the " Gashouse Gang" era of the 1930s, he also pla ...
(
1936
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
) – 64
#
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
(
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...
) – 63
#
Paul Waner (
1932) – 62
#
Charles Gehringer (
1936
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
) – 60
Three players have hit eight doubles in a single postseason: Albert Pujols and
David Freese
David Richard Freese (born April 28, 1983) is an American former professional baseball Infielder, infielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). He began his MLB career with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he was a key player during the 2011 Major Leag ...
(both 2011) and
Ben Zobrist
Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (; born May 26, 1981), is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chi ...
(2015).
Game
The most doubles hit by a player in a major league game is four. This has been achieved more than 40 times, most recently on April 27, 2022, by
Kyle Farmer for the
Cincinnati Reds against the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
. Only two players—Billy Werber and Albert Belle—have achieved the feat twice.
Johnny Damon
Johnny David Damon (born November 5, 1973) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1995 to 2012. During his MLB career, Damon played for the Kansas City Royals (1995–2000), Oakland A ...
and
Shannon Stewart are the only players to have hit four doubles in
interleague play
Interleague play in Major League Baseball refers to regular-season baseball games played between an American League (AL) team and a National League (NL) team. Interleague play was first introduced during the 1997 Major League Baseball season. Pri ...
, doing so in separate games on July 18, 2000. The
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
have recorded the most doubles by a team in one game: they hit 13 doubles in a 17–13 win over the
Chicago Cubs on July 12, 1931, in the second game of a
doubleheader.
Frank Isbell of the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
hit four doubles in Game 5 of the
1906 World Series
The 1906 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1906 season. The third edition of the World Series, it featured a crosstown matchup between the American League champion Chicago White Sox and the National Leagu ...
, the only time this has been achieved in the
postseason
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
.
Freddy Sanchez was the first player to hit three doubles in his first three World Series plate appearances, doing so in Game 1 of the
2010 World Series.
Later in the game, Sanchez reached second base on a base hit that was initially scored as a double, which would have tied Isbell's World Series and postseason records; the play was later amended to a single and an
error
An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'.
In statistics ...
, however.
The sole player to have twice hit three doubles in a postseason game is
Albert Pujols, both times in the 2011 postseason.
The most doubles hit in a postseason game by both teams combined is 13, by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
and Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the
2004 ALCS
The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series to decide the American League champion for the 2004 season, and the right to play in the 2004 World Series. A rematch of the 2003 American League Champion ...
. There have been 13 postseason games that ended with a walk-off double; the most recent was hit by
Carlos Correa of the
Houston Astros in Game 2 of the
2017 ALCS. The
1924 and
1929 World Series
The 1929 World Series featured the American League (AL) champion Philadelphia Athletics playing against the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs. The Athletics defeated the Cubs in five games to win the Series.
This Series featured the At ...
were both won via a game-ending RBI double.
Nine players have hit two doubles in an
All-Star Game
An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...
, most recently
Jonathan Lucroy
Jonathan Charles Lucroy (born June 13, 1986) is a former American professional baseball catcher. Between 2010 and 2021, he spent 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Oakl ...
in the
2014 edition.
Consecutive games
Bo Bichette hit a double in a record nine consecutive games in 2019.
Pitching
Among MLB pitchers,
Earl Whitehill
Earl Oliver Whitehill (February 7, 1899 – October 22, 1954) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Detroit Tigers for the most significant portion of his career (1923–1932), and later with the Washington Senators (1933� ...
of the
Washington Senators has given up the most doubles in a game. The
Detroit Tigers hit 10 doubles against him on July 10, 1935.
Robin Roberts holds the single-season record for doubles conceded (70 in 1953),
while the career record of 820 doubles allowed belongs to
Jamie Moyer.
See also
*
The Double (Seattle Mariners), one of the most famous doubles in baseball history
*
Single (baseball)
*
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a Batter (baseball), batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay (see error (baseball statistics), error) nor another baserunner, runner being put ...
*
Home Run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
References
External links
List of career doubles leaders Baseball-Reference.com
List of single-season doubles leaders Baseball-Reference.com
Yearly League Leaders and Records for DoublesBaseball-Reference.com
{{Baseball statistics
Baseball terminology
Batting statistics