Matt Kemp is giving Los Angeles Dodgers fans something to applaud in the final five games of the season. Kemp is on an historical mission to capture the first Triple Crown since 1967 and to become the fifth constituent of baseball’s 40-homer/40-steals club.
The Dodgers center fielder’s 37 home runs are tied for first place in the National League with Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals. In addition, Kemp leads the NL in RBIs with 119, which happens to be six more than the next closest hitter to him. The statistical category that may possibly halt Kemp’s Triple Crown pursuit is batting average; as he is three points behind co-leaders Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jose Reyes of the New York Mets.
Kemp’s quest to join Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano in the 40-40 club will have to witness the Dodger slugger knocking three balls out of the park within a five-game stretch. It’s a barrier indeed, but when fans and MLB analysts point out that Kemp has hit four home runs in his last five games it becomes that more conceivable why such a feat could be accomplished.
The odds are against Kemp to accomplish both of these historical monuments individually, but it’s still exhilarating for a fan of baseball to root for something magical in a season where all the divisions were won early and wild card races are mostly not in doubt.
According to Elias, not since 1967 has any competitor been leading the league in batting average or been within five points, leading the league in homers or been within one and leading the league in RBIs or been within one in the final 15 games of the season. Kemp is doing this with five games left and also leads the NL in runs with 105.
Regardless of if Kemp falls short of winning the Triple Crown or joining the 40-40 club, it should be put into perspective that a player that just turned 27-years-old is beginning to scratch the surface. How many times are we fortunate to see a player atop of the league in five statistical categories? Nevertheless, the Dodgers might want to resolve their financial mess and keep No. 27 around for the years to come and build on this season. I’m certain the Dodgers Blue Crew would not want to lose this special player to the money of New York or Boston in 2012 free agency.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com