Unbelievable MLB Records: The Jaw-Dropping Doubles That Changed Baseball Forever

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.
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.

Sure, a bloop can lead to a double, but many times one results from a flex of the muscles â€“ 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.

Pete Rose (746), Stan Musial (725) and Ty Cobb (724) are the only other players with over 700 doubles in their careers.

There’s something about hitting a double that not only feels good, but looks superb.

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.

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).

Most Doubles in a Game: 4 – Several Players

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.

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.

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 Game by a Rookie: 4 – Two Players

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.

Most Doubles in a Game by a Team: 13 – 1931 St. Louis Cardinals

Six players have collected a record seven doubles in a regular-season series, but Joe Dugan collected his bounty in the fewest games – three.

Most Doubles in a Series: 7 – Six Players

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.

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.

We dove into the record books to answer those questions and more (note: MLB separates regular-season and postseason statistics).

The post The Most Doubles in a Game, Season and Career in MLB History appeared first on Opta Analyst.

Most Doubles in a Season: 67 – Earl Webb, 1931

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.

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Most Doubles in a Season by a Rookie: 52 – Johnny Frederick, 1929

Who’s doubled the fun with the most two-baggers in a Major League Baseball game? In a season? In a career?

Most Doubles in a Career: 793 – Tris Speaker, 1907-28

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.

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.

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.

Ever wonder who truly doubled down on the thrill in baseball history? Yeah, those players who didn’t just settle for a single but dazzled us with doubles — that sweet spot right in the heart of the diamond where a batter stands tall and proud on second base. There’s just something about the double that’s both a power move and a bit of an art form, whether it’s a muscle-flexing drive into the gap or that cheeky ground-rule double bouncing off into the stands. So, who’s got the bragging rights for the most doubles in a game, a whole season, or even across their entire career? Well, I dug deep into the annals of MLB lore (remember, all stats are regular season unless otherwise noted) to bring you the ultimate rundown on the kings and queens of doubles — a record book full of muscle, finesse, and then some. Ready to find out who doubled their fun like no other? LEARN MORE.
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.