Jarren Duran leads the major leagues with eight triples and he’s on pace for 24. That would set a Red Sox single-season record.
“That would be one hell of a stat,” Duran said. “I mean, it’s really hard. But so far, so good. So I guess we’ll just see how it turns out. But that would honestly be a great accomplishment if I could do that.”
Hall of Fame center fielder Tris Speaker holds the Red Sox’ single-season record for triples with 22 in 1913. Duran is the first Red Sox player with eight triples in a season since Mookie Betts had eight in 2015.
Duran needs only two more triples to become just the fourth Red Sox player this century with 10 or more triples in a season. He’d join Nomar Garciaparra (13 triples in 2003), Johnny Damon (11 triples in 2002) and Jacoby Ellsbury (10 triples in 2009).
“It’s always fun to possibly have the chance to get an inside the parker when I’m running out the triple,” Duran said. “But also at the same time, it gives somebody else an opportunity to get an RBI so that’s always a fun thing, too. But I think running around the bases is always fun.”
Levi Weaver and Ken Rosenthal recently noted in The Athletic, “In the divisional era (1969-present), there have only been six seasons of 20+ triples. The last two came in the same season, when Jimmy Rollins had 20 for the Phillies and Curtis Granderson hit a divisional-era record 23 for the Tigers.”
For Duran, the most exciting offensive play in baseball is not the triple. It’s an inside-the-park homer. It took him just 15 seconds to score on an inside-the-park homer in a sim game for Triple-A Pawtucket at the alternate site in 2020.
“I’m always thinking inside the parker until Huddy (third base coach Kyle Hudson) stops me,” Duran said. “He usually stops me pretty soon.”
Duran came close to an inside-the-park home run in July 2021. He rounded all the bases vs. the Blue Jays but it was ruled a triple and that he took home on an error by the center fielder.
“The one against Toronto that was a triple with an error,” Duran said. “Even though it kicked off a steel gate and they gave him an error for that.”
