One of my all time favorite baseball facts is that George Brett won a batting title in three different decades. He pulled off the feat in 1977, 1979 and 1990.
I just realized I’ve never looked up how rare it is in other parts of the game. Of course, it means a player has to start his career at the end of one decade, play through another and do well at the beginning of the third.
Some leaders were obvious.
Home runs
For instance, Babe Ruth lead the league in homers in 1918-21, 23-24, 26-30. So he led the majors in homers in three different decades.
Strikeouts
Nolan Ryan led the major leagues in strikeouts in 1972-1974, 1976-79, 1987-1990. So he had a strikeout crown in each decade.
Hits
Pete Rose led the league in hits 1965, 1972-73, 1976, 1981.
Wins
Tom Seaver led the league in wins in 1969, 1975 and 1981.
Bob Feller led the league in wins in 1939-41, 1946-47, 1951.
Then there’s Warren Spahn.
Warren Spahn led the league in ERA in 1947, 1953 and 1961. He led the league in wins in 1949, 1953, 1957, 1961