Unassisted triple play
In baseball, an unassisted triple play occurs when a defensive player makes all three outs by himself in one continuous play, without his teammates making any assists. Neal Ball was the first to achieve this in Major League Baseball (MLB) under modern rules, doing so on July 19, 1909.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For this rare play to be possible there must be no outs in the inning and at least two runners on base, normally with the runners going on the pitch (e.g., double steal or hit-and-run). An unassisted triple play usually consists of a hard line drive hit directly at an infielder for the first out, with that same fielder then able to double off one of the base runners and tag a second, or vice versa, for the second and third outs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In MLB, a total of fifteen players have fielded an unassisted triple play,<ref name="reuters">Template:Cite news</ref> making this feat rarer than a perfect game.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Of these fifteen players, eight were shortstops, five were second basemen and two were first basemen. The Cleveland Naps/Indians/Guardians are the only franchise to have three players achieve the feat while on their roster: Neal Ball, Bill Wambsganss and Asdrúbal Cabrera. The shortest time between two unassisted triple plays occurred in May 1927, when Johnny Neun executed the feat less than 24 hours after Jimmy Cooney.<ref name="Hansen 8th">Template:Cite news</ref> Conversely, it took more than 41 seasons after Neun's play before Ron Hansen performed the feat on July 30, 1968, marking the longest span between unassisted triple plays.<ref name="Hansen 8th"/> The most recent player to make an unassisted triple play is Eric Bruntlett, accomplishing the feat on August 23, 2009.<ref name="Bruntlett"/> Only Neun and Bruntlett executed unassisted triple plays that ended the game.<ref name="reuters"/>
Background
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Most unassisted triple plays in MLB have taken this form: an infielder catches a line drive (one out), steps on second base to double off a runner (two outs), and then tags another runner coming from first on the runner's way to second base (three outs). As it is easiest for this type of play to occur when the fielder is positioned between the two runners, all such plays have been accomplished by middle infielders (second basemen and shortstops).
Three other unassisted triple plays involved a reversal of the last two putouts, with an infielder tagging the runner coming from first before touching second base. Two of the three plays were performed by first basemen, who tagged out the returning runner while on the baseman’s way to second base. For example, after collecting the first two outs, Tigers' first baseman Johnny Neun ignored his shortstop's shouts to throw the ball, and instead ran to second base to get the final out himself.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The only known unassisted triple play that did not take one of these two forms occurred in the 19th century, under rules that are no longer in effect (see below).
It is plausible that a third baseman could complete an unassisted triple play with runners at second and third or with bases loaded, but this has never happened in MLB. All modern unassisted triple plays occurred with runners only on first and second, and only two of those plays - Velarde’s and Bruntlett’s - were accomplished with more than the two requisite runners having reached base in the inning. In the modern era, players in other positions (pitcher, catcher, outfielders) completing an unassisted triple play would require unusual confusion or mistakes by the baserunners, or an atypical defensive alignment (for example, repositioning an outfielder as a fifth infielder).
The unassisted triple play, the perfect game, hitting four home runs in one game and five extra-base hits in a game are thus comparable in terms of rarity, but the perfect game and the home run and extra-base hit records require an extraordinary effort along with a fair amount of luck. By contrast, the unassisted triple play is essentially always a matter of luck: a combination of the right circumstances with the relatively simple effort of catching the ball and running in the proper direction with it. Troy Tulowitzki said of his feat, "It fell right in my lap",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and as WGN-TV sports anchor Dan Roan commented, "That's the way these plays always happen."
Instances
19th century
- Paul Hines, May 8, 1878, Providence Grays (vs. Boston Red Caps) (disputed)
- With runners on second and third, center fielder Hines caught a line drive from Jack Burdock that the runners thought was uncatchable. When he caught it, both runners had already passed third (according to The Boston Globe account of the game, printed on May 9).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Hines stepped on third, which by the rules of the day meant both runners were out. To make sure, he threw the ball to Charlie Sweasy at second base. It is still debated whether this was truly an unassisted triple play. Modern rules would have required either the ball to be conveyed to second base to put out the runner who had been on that base and had not tagged up, or that runner to be tagged. According to the Society for American Baseball Research, the runner coming from second, Ezra Sutton, had not yet touched third base, which would mean that even by 19th-century rules the play was not complete until Hines threw to second, and thus the play was not unassisted.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ernest J. Lanigan's Baseball Cyclopedia, 1922, which covers professional baseball back to 1876, states on p. 157 that Neal Ball in 1909 was "the first major leaguer to make an unassisted triple play". The Sporting News Baseball Record Book, which covers records back to 1876, likewise does not list Hines' play in the section on unassisted triple plays.
Modern era (in MLB)
See also
- Walter Carlisle, who executed an unassisted triple play as a minor-league outfielder in 1911.
- Randy Ready, who nearly completed an unassisted triple play as a second baseman in 1991, but threw to first base rather than tagging the baserunner for the final out
Notes
References
- General
- Specific