Unbelievable MLB Records: The Untold Stories Behind the Most Doubles in a Game, Season, and Career
Ever wonder who really knows how to double the fun on a baseball diamond? I mean, there’s just something mesmerizing about those crisp hits that find their way into the gaps, sending batters sprinting to second base, looking like they own the field. It’s not just luck—sometimes it’s raw power, precision, and a little bit of baseball magic. From jaw-dropping single-game explosions to jaw-dropping career feats, some players have absolutely mastered the art of the double, carving their names deep into Major League Baseball’s storied history. So, who holds the crown for the most doubles in a game, a season, or an entire career? Stick with me as we dive into these standout stats and celebrate the hitters who truly know how to stand tall at the heart of the diamond. LEARN MORE
There’s something about hitting a double that not only feels good, but looks superb.
Only five players have earned a share of the record with just four at-bats in a game, most recently Kevin Newman of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021.
Who’s doubled the fun with the most two-baggers in a Major League Baseball game? In a season? In a career?
Perhaps surprisingly, the record for doubles and home runs in a regular-season game during the modern era (since 1901) is the same – four. However, it’s happened over three times more often with doubles.
Atlanta Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche set the all-time mark on May 15, 2004 when he clubbed four doubles against the Milwaukee Brewers. Ten years later, Brock Holt of the Boston Red Sox matched the record on June 1, 2014 when he went 4 for 4 with four doubles against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Slugger Mel Ott had seven with the New York Giants in a six-game series (including a pair of doubleheaders) against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1929.
Most Doubles in a Game: 4 – Several Players
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Sure, a bloop can lead to a double, but many times one results from a flex of the muscles – a blast of a pitch into the gap or over an outfielder’s head. Some even bounce or deflect into the stands for a ground-rule double.
The post The Most Doubles in a Game, Season and Career in MLB History appeared first on Opta Analyst.
Most Doubles in a Game by a Rookie: 4 – Two Players
Beyond 1936, perennial All-Star first baseman Todd Helton of the Colorado Rockies matched the seventh-most doubles in a season with 59 in 2000. Previously, Tris Speaker of Cleveland (1923) and fellow Hall of Famer Chuck Klein of the Phillies (1930) collected the same number.
Most Doubles in a Game by a Team: 13 – 1931 St. Louis Cardinals
Hitters to collect seven doubles in four-game series are Jimmy Collins of the Boston Americans against the Philadelphia A’s in 1901, Earl Sheely of the Chicago White Sox against the Red Sox in 1926, Carl Reynolds of the White Sox against the now Cleveland Guardians in 1929 and Mike Sweeney of the Kansas City Royals in 2001.
Most Doubles in a Series: 7 – Six Players
Johnny Frederick still holds the record for the most doubles in a season by a rookie after he finished the 1929 season with 52 doubles for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Miguel Andujar of the New York Yankees was the most recent player to make a run at the mark in 2018 when he ended up with 47.
Six players have collected a record seven doubles in a regular-season series, but Joe Dugan collected his bounty in the fewest games – three.
A third baseman for the Philadelphia Athletics, Dugan hit seven doubles in a road series against the Red Sox from Sept. 23-25, 1920. He didn’t have any other hits in the series, which the A’s lost two games to one.
Hall of Fame center fielder Tris Speaker sprayed a record 793 doubles in a 22-season career from 1907-28, leading the AL in two-baggers eight times and finishing second three others. His total is often reported as 792 doubles, but the Society for American Baseball Research considers him to have 793.
Most Doubles in a Season: 67 – Earl Webb, 1931
In a July 12, 1931 slugfest, the St. Louis Cardinals belted 13 doubles while outscoring the rival Chicago Cubs 17-13. Gus Mancuso and Ripper Collins led the way with three doubles apiece. That remains the doubles record for a team decades later. Three teams (the 1912 New York Giants, 1990 Red Sox and Cleveland in 1996) have hit 12 doubles in a game.
The American League raised its schedule from 154 games to 162 in 1961 and the National League did the same one year later, but the six players who have hit 60 or more doubles in a single season did so between 1926-36. In the middle of that run – naturally, like a player standing on second base in the middle of the diamond – Earl Webb of the Red Sox set the record with 67 doubles in 1931.
Most Doubles in a Season by a Rookie: 52 – Johnny Frederick, 1929
The end result, of course, is a batter standing out on a second base right smack in the middle of the diamond for all to admire.
Most Doubles in a Career: 793 – Tris Speaker, 1907-28
Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox became the 50th player to do so on July 2, 2023, knocking four doubles in a 5-for-5 performance against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Miguel Cabrera hit his 600th double in the 2022 season, making him the 18th player to reach the career milestone at the time. The list is full of all-time greats, with some beginning their careers before the 1900s.
These guys liked to double their fun. Behold the players with the most doubles in a game, season and career in MLB history (note: Major League Baseball separates regular-season and postseason statistics).
Pete Rose (746), Stan Musial (725) and Ty Cobb (724) are the only other players with over 700 doubles in their careers.
We dove into the record books to answer those questions and more (note: MLB separates regular-season and postseason statistics).
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