Has There Ever Been A Triple Play In Baseball?
Contents
The answer may surprise you – there have actually been 11 triple plays in MLB history! Here’s a look at some of the most memorable moments.
Introduction
The triple play is one of the rarest events in baseball, and it has only happened a handful of times in major league history. A triple play occurs when the defensive team retires three batters on the same play. This can happen either by forceouts or strikeouts, but it must all happen on the same play. Here are some of the most famous triple plays in baseball history.
What is a Triple Play?
In baseball, a triple play occurs when three outs are recorded on the same play. This is a relatively rare feat, and it usually happens when there is some sort of confusion on the basepaths. For example, if a runner is on first base and tries to steal second, the second baseman may throw to the shortstop, who then tags the runner out before he can return to first base. Meanwhile, the batter may have been running to first base as well, so he is also tagged out.
The Infield Triple Play
The Infield Triple Play
The infield triple play is the rarest type of triple play in baseball. It typically happens when there are runners on first and second base, and the batter hits a ground ball to the shortstop or third baseman. The fielder then steps on second base to force out the runner from first, and then throws to the second baseman who tags out the runner coming from second.
The Outfield Triple Play
While rare, the outfield triple play has happened on a few occasions in baseball history. The most recent occurred on May 7, 2019, when the Toronto Blue Jays turned one against the Baltimore Orioles.
Before that, there had only been two other recorded outfield triple plays in MLB history. The first came on April 23, 1912, when the New York Giants pulled one off against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The second happened on May 31, 1925, when the Chicago Cubs executed an outfield triple play against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Turning an outfield triple play is so difficult because all three outfielders must be involved in the play. And, not only do they have to execute their own respective tasks flawlessly, but they also have to be in perfect sync with each other.
incredibly difficult for several reasons. First, all three outfielders must be involved in the play — and not only do they have to execute their own respective tasks flawlessly but also be in perfect sync with each other. Second, it’s rare for all three baserunners to try and advance at once; typically, one will stay put while the others risk moving up a base (or two).
Of course, even if everything goes right for the defense, there’s always a chance that the ball will take an unlucky bounce or that an outfielder will make a poor throw — as was the case for Cubs center fielder Hack Wilson in 1925. Luckily for Wilson (and the Cubs), his teammates were able to bail him out and complete the historic triple play.
The Pitcher’s Triple Play
A pitcher’s triple play is an exceedingly rare feat in baseball, and has only been accomplished 13 times in major league history. In a pitcher’s triple play, the same player (the pitcher) records all three outs in the same half-inning.
The first pitcher’s triple play occurred on August 10, 1888, when St. Louis Browns pitcher Bob Caruthers turned the trick against the Cincinnati Reds. The most recent occurrence was on September 28, 2000, when Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood pulled off the feat against the Houston Astros.
Interestingly, there have been two occasions on which a pitcher’s triple play was turned with none out and the bases loaded (the so-called “immaculate triple play”). This happened most recently on May 31, 2009, when Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox accomplished the feat against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Triple Play in the Modern Game
The Triple Play in the Modern Game
While the triple play is a rare feat in baseball, it does happen from time to time. In fact, there have been a few occasions where a team has pulled off multiple triple plays in the same game! Here are some notable examples of the triple play in the modern era of baseball.
The most recent instance of a team turning multiple triple plays in the same game occurred on August 23, 2010. That day, the Seattle Mariners faced off against the Tampa Bay Rays. In the top of the second inning, with runners on first and second base and no outs, Mariners second baseman Jose Lopez hit a line drive to Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett. Bartlett caught the ball and then tagged second base before stepping on first to complete a triple play.
In more recent history, on September 28, 2008, the Chicago Cubs pulled off two triple plays in one game against the Houston Astros. The first came in the bottom of the third inning with runners on first and second base and one out. Astros batter Michael Bourn hit a grounder to Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot who stepped on second base before throwing to first baseman Derrek Lee to complete the play. The second came in the bottom of the eighth inning with runners on first and second base and one out. This time it was Astros batter Darin Erstad hitting a grounder to Theriot who again stepped on second before throwing to Lee for the out.
Earlier that season, on April 7, 2008, two more teams turned multiple triple plays in separate games. In a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates, Brewers third baseman Bill Hall hit into a 5-4-3 triple play in the bottom ofthe sixth inning with runners on first and second base and none out. Later that day, in a game between ̈the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays, Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill hit into apivotal 5-4-3 triple play with runnerson firstandsecondand noneout which helped preservea2-1Yankeesleadinthebottomofthe ninth inning.* source:https://www.mlb
Conclusion
From what we can gather, it seems that there has never been a triple play in baseball. There have been a few close calls, but nothing that has ever been officially recorded. If you know of any other instances of a triple play in baseball, please let us know!
