Comments on: The rarest play in baseball

The rarest play in baseball

edverb — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:37:05 -0800

Baseball fans were treated on Sunday to the rarest gem in the sport, a confluence of chance and circumstance which had only occurred twelve times previously in modern major league history. If you blinked, you may have missed it. Colorado Rockies rookie shortshop (and subject of future trivia questions) Troy Tulowitzki turned an unassisted triple play.

By: edverb

edverb — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:39:39 -0800

Speaking of trivia...It is possible for a player to be credited with an unassisted triple play without ever touching the ball. The question is "how?"

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:45:55 -0800

Chipper Jones is going to be the real trivia answer— he's the only batter to hit into two unassisted triple plays. Though I can't answer ed's question...

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:46:27 -0800

That's pretty cool, and I don't even particularly like baseball. It seems amazing that it's happened so rarely.

By: edverb

edverb — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:48:02 -0800

To be completely accurate, an unassisted triple play (while exceedingly rare), is not actually the rarest thing. Damn close though.

By: These Premises Are Alarmed

These Premises Are Alarmed — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:48:27 -0800

That's very cool. Wish I could, you know, watch it happen.

By: jourman2

jourman2 — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:49:15 -0800

how about a triple play without a ball touching a bat? Apparently it's only happened once in mlb history.

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:49:27 -0800

good question edverd ... somehow must involve the infield fly rule .

By: caddis

caddis — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:50:14 -0800

LARRY!

By: mr_roboto

mr_roboto — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:52:31 -0800

These Premises Are Alarmed writes "That's very cool. Wish I could, you know, watch it happen." There's a link to video near the top of the page edverb linked to. Next to the little camera icon; it says "400K". Well disguised link!

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:57:45 -0800

It is possible for a player to be credited with an unassisted triple play without ever touching the ball. The question is "how?" Two men on base. Batters hits an infield fly...he is out. Man on first accidentally runs past the runner on second. He is out. The man on second gets hit by the ball while off base. He is out. Triple Play. However, who gets credited?

By: caddis

caddis — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:59:01 -0800

I just saw the video. That was an awesome confluence of great fielding and overly aggresive base running.

By: These Premises Are Alarmed

These Premises Are Alarmed — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:59:24 -0800

mr_roboto: Yeah, I see that. It pops up a new window that is blank (on firefox) or attempts to launch Windows Media Play (which sits and spins) on Safari. So I searched on Youtube which had a video that had "been removed" because of a copyright claim from MLB. Eventually I launched Parallels to play it, which worked, but christ, you'd think MLB would want me to see their promotional material.

By: fair_game

fair_game — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:59:40 -0800

Two men on base. Batters hits an infield fly...he is out. Man on first accidentally runs past the runner on second. He is out. The man on second gets hit by the ball while off base. He is out. Triple Play. However, who gets credited? You beat me to the answer but I'll finish. It's the man closest to the play (SS or 2B).

By: Justinian

Justinian — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:01:23 -0800

Klangklangston; unfortunately, the other triple play Chipper Jones hit into was not unassisted.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:01:26 -0800

That's very cool. Wish I could, you know, watch it happen. You might want to, you know, try clicking the link and watching the video. Or, you might not... it's fantastically boring. I don't even understand what happened--what was the guy doing that he tagged? Was he the runner from first? He looked like he was just standing around watching. Eventually I launched Parallels to play it, which worked Worked fine for me in Safari. Though I wish it hadn't. It was fantastically boring. ;)

By: edverb

edverb — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:01:43 -0800

Two men on base. Batters hits an infield fly...he is out. Man on first accidentally runs past the runner on second. He is out. The man on second gets hit by the ball while off base. He is out. Triple Play. However, who gets credited? Exactly correct. The shortshop gets credited for all three outs though he never touched the ball, as the fielder closest to each play.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:05:40 -0800

Has it ever happend?

By: jacquilynne

jacquilynne — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:07:00 -0800

I don't understand how this is unassisted. Does the guy who caught the ball at first base (and thus actually put out the batter) get no credit for anything in this scenario?

By: dobbs

dobbs — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:08:42 -0800

Does the guy who caught the ball at first base (and thus actually put out the batter) get no credit for anything in this scenario? That wasn't an out. That toss wasn't needed. He caught the fly (first out), stepped on second (getting out the guy who was standing on second and running to third (out #2) and then tagged some guy who was on his break between first and second (3rd out). At least, that's how I understood it.

By: howa2396

howa2396 — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:09:53 -0800

Kind of related... mlb.mlb.com?? Why?!

By: Terminal Verbosity

Terminal Verbosity — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:11:01 -0800

It seems amazing that it's happened so rarely. That's funny, I would have said the opposite. If asked how many triple plays there have been period, my answer would have been darn close to thirteen. Unassisted, that just blows the mind. I don't understand how this is unassisted. Does the guy who caught the ball at first base (and thus actually put out the batter) get no credit for anything in this scenario? The runner was out when Tulowitzki caught the ball. The throw to first was superfluous.

By: howa2396

howa2396 — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:13:06 -0800

"Once he made the play and I thought we had four outs, I wondered how that worked for the next inning," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "But I think we had it figured out. Those aren't things you work on or plan for, so when they happen, it kind of catches everybody for a second." The manager of a pro baseball team thought you could get four outs with only three runners. That certainly makes him seem a bit incompetent to me.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:13:35 -0800

I'm glad I got to participate in that trivia question before all the sports h8terz come in and ruin the party.

By: danb

danb — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:13:46 -0800

Or, as Tulowitzki himself said, ""I just wanted to make sure. I was trying to be the first person ever to get about five outs."

By: knave

knave — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:13:53 -0800

Kind of related... mlb.mlb.com?? Why?! Site designed by an admirer of news.com.com?

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:14:22 -0800

The manager of a pro baseball team thought you could get four outs with only three runners. That certainly makes him seem a bit incompetent to me. I think he was being facetious, hoss.

By: edverb

edverb — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:14:30 -0800

I wonder if Tulowitski will get fined in kangaroo court for the unnecessary throw to first.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:14:34 -0800

That was an awesome confluence of great fielding Great fielding? Are you being sarcastic? The ball practically landed in his glove and then he jogged four feet.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:19:04 -0800

Bonus points for getting the fourth out just in case.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:19:23 -0800

This made me happy, which is why even though I don't follow baseball very much anymore, I still love baseball very much. All the bizarre possibilities, the pickles, fielders choice, infield fly rule, Lenny Dykstra sliding headfirst into first base, someone shoots an arrow at Dave Winfield, dude pitches a whole game on acid... Here's my trivia question for you: Of those 13 unassisted triple plays, how many are credited to Rollie Fingers's mustache?

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:24:43 -0800

There's usually a newspaper in the crapper at work, and some days it's the sports section, and I pretty much don't give a damn about sports but I'll scan the paper anyway because, hey, the crapper. And I read about this and thought, huh. Neat. The video is a bit underwhelming, though—you get the feeling the runner from first wasn't even sure what the hell was going on at that point. Could he have cleared back to first? No chance. Could he have moved like he had a pair? Sure.

By: Navelgazer

Navelgazer — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:26:10 -0800

I love this. This is the sort of response I have to people who tell me that baseball is boring. Baseball is fascinating, because every single play is a new situation to consider the possibilities of before it plays out. Athletically, what he did is nothing spectaular, pedestrian even, what makes it amazing is that in those two seconds he knew exactly what to do to pull off something almost unheard of, and in fact it seems like he had that possibility in his head while awaiting the pitch. The runners, on the other hand, didn't think of it, and that confluence caused it. Of all sports, I think baseball really requires the quickest, most crossword-puzzle-style mind. This was awesome.

By: fair_game

fair_game — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:29:13 -0800

...dude pitches a whole game on acid... Not just a complete game. A no hitter.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:29:39 -0800

in those two seconds he knew exactly what to do to pull off something almost unheard of, and in fact it seems like he had that possibility in his head while awaiting the pitch. This skill is all the unseen beauty of baseball that a lot people can't appreciate. The chess game that goes on in 8 people's heads (counting defense only) while the 9th plays his own chess game with the batter.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:34:38 -0800

Not just a complete game. A no hitter. See what I mean?

By: Navelgazer

Navelgazer — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:35:43 -0800

Oh, also, occasionally you get to see Randy Johnson pitch a fastball directly into a pigeon flying past the plate. Might I add that something even rarer happened one week earlier, when the Red Sox jit four consecutive home runs. (Only the fifth time in history.)

By: stupidsexyFlanders

stupidsexyFlanders — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:43:43 -0800

navelgazer's got it. There's such a rich variety of situations that can arise from the swing of the bat, and at the MLB level most players are processing each possibility beforehand, or processing on contact...and as a fan, even the most one-sided laugher can suddenly yield up, out of nowhere, some historic oddity or superhuman play that rewards a fan's constant attention. Yes, this even includes the Phillies, currently on track for a record 10,000 franchise losses. It also includes Dock Ellis pitching not just a whole game but a no hitter while tripping his brains out. Baseball players are the awesomest.

By: stupidsexyFlanders

stupidsexyFlanders — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:44:38 -0800

they probably can post faster than me, too

By: Stynxno

Stynxno — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:44:48 -0800

i think the more amazing thing is that the rockies actually won the game.

By: kurumi

kurumi — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:46:03 -0800

Also rare: Pitcher Nick Altrock is said to have won a game in 1906 for the White Sox without throwing a pitch. (He's known today only for his groundbreaking work in radio programming.)

By: edverb

edverb — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:46:06 -0800

Might I add that something even rarer happened one week earlier, when the Red Sox jit four consecutive home runs. Yeah...I thought about it, but just didn't have the heart to do that post, being a Yankees fan who was pulling for the rookie they menaced (Chase Wright.) Thank goodness someone turned an unassisted triple play for us to talk about instead. ;-) But seriously, at this rate...next week, a utility outfielder will throw a perfect game on crack.

By: dw

dw — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:46:43 -0800

Six of the 13 unassisted triple plays happened between 1920-27 -- two of them on consecutive days (May 30-31, 1927). And then, none until 1968. And then, none until 1992. Since 1992, it's happened four times, three of them this decade. The same decade, oddly, that Barry Bonds destroyed Babe Ruth's record for OBP and Ichiro broke George Sisler's single season hits record. Both those records were thought to be of their time and unlikely to be assailable by modern players.

By: cowbellemoo

cowbellemoo — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:47:09 -0800

The runner was out when Tulowitzki caught the ball. The throw to first was superfluous. Not superfluous. He got rid of the ball because he was on fire. And didn't want to ruin the ball. ; - P

By: notmydesk

notmydesk — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:47:27 -0800

Ha ha! Suck it, Chipper.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:53:39 -0800

There's a link to video near the top of the page edverb linked to. Next to the little camera icon; it says "400K". Well disguised link! Thanks for this—I knew it had happened but was dying to see it. Wish I'd been watching the game, but bless this modern world where I can see it anyway! You can tell the real baseball fans because they don't think it's boring.

By: dw

dw — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:54:12 -0800

And while we're derailing, Ron Hassey is the answer to two of my favorite baseball trivia questions: 1. Who is the only man to catch two MLB perfect games? (Len Barker in 1981, Dennis Martinez in 1991) 2. Who was Nolan Ryan strikeout victim #4999 and #5001? (Ryan K'd Rickey Henderson for #5000)

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:05:36 -0800

It's funny, they were just talking about the Morandini (Phillies) triple play on the radio on Friday (before the most recent one).

By: Phatty Lumpkin

Phatty Lumpkin — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:06:50 -0800

I was there--coincidentally, the first game I'd been to in many years. When it happened, it took a moment for the crowd to register that one guy ended the inning in a bases loaded, no out situation. Then, of course, everyone went nuts. Incidentally, Coors Field is a great place to see a game, and about the cheapest, with $4 seats out in center field.

By: dw

dw — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:19:08 -0800

Incidentally, Coors Field is a great place to see a game, and about the cheapest, with $4 seats out in center field. At Mile High they were $1. Sat in those a number of times.

By: sappidus

sappidus — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:31:54 -0800

My favorite story about an unassisted triple play occurred in the minor leagues. It's mentioned at the end of this page. I especially like the bit about the somersault.

By: Hogshead

Hogshead — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:34:09 -0800

It's a month old now, but Lasith Malinga's four wickets in four balls, as Sri Lanka faced South Africa in the cricket world cup, was the first time the feat's ever been performed in 160 years of international cricket.

By: Steven C. Den Beste

Steven C. Den Beste — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:37:43 -0800

Wasn't there one (and only one) unassisted triple play in the world series? I don't remember the name or year but I do remember the sequence of events: men on 1st and 2nd. Batter hits a line drive to SS/2B? who catches it, steps on 2nd base, and tags the runner coming in from first.

By: The Bellman

The Bellman — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:41:56 -0800

According to the news this morning, the first baseman, apparently unaware of what had just happened, tossed the ball into the stands after the play . . . some fan is pretty happy.

By: spock

spock — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:43:47 -0800

Mac users should install Flip4Mac and watch WMV in QuickTime from now on. It's awesome.

By: lubujackson

lubujackson — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:48:17 -0800

Looking at the chart of players who have turned an unassisted triple play - and notice a couple first baseman on the list. How is that even possible? I can't wrap my head around what situation that would require.

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:50:37 -0800

> The manager of a pro baseball team thought you could get four outs with only three runners. That certainly makes him seem a bit incompetent to me. I guess you could say he was making sure he had all his bases covered.

By: SBMike

SBMike — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:51:46 -0800

It's still not as rare as stealing first.

By: QuietDesperation

QuietDesperation — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:55:45 -0800

How about an unassisted triple play with a batter that's home sick, and it's not baseball season, and the stadium hasn't yet been built. Any trivia-heads out there know that one?

By: caddis

caddis — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:58:07 -0800

Good wikipedia on unassisted triple plays

By: waitingtoderail

waitingtoderail — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:03:36 -0800

Bill Wambsganss had the World Series unassisted triple play in 1920. Less well known is that in the same game Jim Bagby hit the first World Series home run by a pitcher. What I find fascinating is that TWICE, first basemen turned the trick. That means they had to run all the way over to second base. Where were the second baseman and shortstop?

By: waitingtoderail

waitingtoderail — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:04:28 -0800

or, what lubujackson said

By: SBMike

SBMike — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:08:05 -0800

waitingtoderail, if you were a first baseman and saw the opportunity, wouldn't you haul ass to second for the glory?

By: Tbola

Tbola — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:31:34 -0800

SBMike, wouldn't you have to PASS the guy running from first (who would've had have a head start) to second to accomplish this? It's just so hard to imagine someone pulling this off.

By: caddis

caddis — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:40:56 -0800

The guy running to second is out when you tag first base; it's the guy returning to second who was on his way to third that you have to beat. Here is how it unfolded for Nuen:

Remarkably, just the next day, in the ninth inning, first baseman Neun caught Homer Summa's line drive, tagged Charlie Jamieson between first and second and stepped on second base before Glenn Myatt could return. Neun had heard about Cooney's feat the day before and vowed to someday duplicate it himself. Thus, when the opportunity presented itself, he held the ball and ran all the way to second base rather than throw there to record the third out.

By: rollbiz

rollbiz — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:42:01 -0800

Might I add that something even rarer happened one week earlier, when the Red Sox hit four consecutive home runs Fixed the spelling of hit, and yeah...What was also really interesting about this is that J.D. Drew has the distinction of being involved in this rare event two years in a row, with different teams. **Sox fan, so it was also best of all to have done this to the Evil Empire.

By: Ian A.T.

Ian A.T. — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:52:19 -0800

The man on second gets hit by the ball while off base. I'm not the biggest sports fan, but...uh, if you get hit by the ball you're out? Surely I'm missing something.

By: mr_roboto

mr_roboto — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:11:39 -0800

Ian A.T. writes "I'm not the biggest sports fan, but...uh, if you get hit by the ball you're out? Surely I'm missing something." 7.08 (f) Check out 7.08 (i) while you're there. "...making a travesty of the game." Heh.

By: Navelgazer

Navelgazer — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:16:20 -0800

If a runner makes contact with the baseball when not safely on base, in any way (I guess other than the fielder throwing it at him) he is out. I think.

By: thirteenkiller

thirteenkiller — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:24:05 -0800

According to Wikipedia that was the 666th MLB triple play, and the 13th unassisted. That guy is so doomed.

By: chrominance

chrominance — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:25:53 -0800

Two men on base. Batters hits an infield fly...he is out. Man on first accidentally runs past the runner on second. He is out. The man on second gets hit by the ball while off base. He is out. Triple Play. I want to see this happen in a game sometime, just for the novelty of seeing the fielding team reprimanded for delay of game while everyone else figures out what the hell just happened.

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:33:16 -0800

"How about an unassisted triple play with a batter that's home sick, and it's not baseball season, and the stadium hasn't yet been built. Any trivia-heads out there know that one?" Back when the pitcher's mound was only 45 feet from home plate there were no stadiums as of yet. Rusty "Tug" Lewis of the Mansfield Independents was documented as being "homesick" because his dog "Skupper" was having puppies and his wife had made a batch of his favorite cookies for him. This is 1869 cookies, which in today's terms accounting for inflation would be gigantic pies. Back then a walk took was 8 balls and was counted as a base hit and if someone fielded a ball on one bounce the hitter was out and had to wear an onion tied to his belt (which was the style of the time). Also umpires sat in padded chairs behind the plate and held up shields made of kittens to protect them from the pitches. Wellsir, the Cincinnati Red Stockings were beating them 48 to 14 and Lewis smacked one right at the shortstop (his name escapes me, but his mother was Ameldautheria "Butters" Smith, so named because she chewed tobacco and it left butter colored stains on her dress) and had an unassisted triple play very similar to this one (although adjusted for inflation he got about a hundred and thirty seven outs). President Grover Cleveland was so distraught at the spectacle he bludgeoned his daughter Ruth with a thick brown piece of manufactured wood that had pieces of gravel and iron debris in it until she lost her wits and became as simple as an infant - and so we got the candy bar called Baby Ruth. Also technically the game was played when it wasn't baseball season because the Reds until recently played their first game before all the other teams started. ...Germany Schaefer made friends with Ty Cobb? - now that's unprecedented.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:36:17 -0800

Wasn't there one (and only one) unassisted triple play in the world series? It's in the linked article, Steven: Twelve have been turned in the regular season, and second baseman Bill Wambsganss turned one in the 1920 World Series.

By: pwedza

pwedza — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:00:27 -0800

dang. . . is dailymotion.com blocked from anybody else's computer?

By: bodega

bodega — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:20:54 -0800

DW, I noticed that gap in the unassisted triple play timeline too. I was trying to come up with a theory... changing managerial theories on aggressive baserunning or some such. But, Bill James I ain't.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:29:27 -0800

As an aside about getting hit with the ball, I was part of a double play once in softball where I was running from first to second and the first baseman bobbled a grounder that went out sideways and hit my foot while I was running, which he then scooped up and got to the bag with (to force the batter). I was pissed because I hadn't tried to interfere, but the ump called me out anyway. Getting hit with the ball is the suckiest way to get out.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:45:28 -0800

Especially if it hits you in the meat of the thigh on a lazy grounder when you had a good lead on second and you are high as a elephants eye and you are playing on a lumpy and unkempt field...God that's like getting bit by a king cobra... not that I played a shitload of softball in college or anything.

By: aaronetc

aaronetc — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:54:06 -0800

I can imagine a 1st baseman doing it if the shift is on and the 2nd baseman is over to the other side of the infield. Also, I thought getting hit with a batted ball only got you out if no defender had touched it yet. Not true?

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:24:46 -0800

Not true if you're "interfering" with the fielder's ability to get the ball. But I second the pain of being hit with a ball, especially while high. The reason I stopped playing baseball in, like, 6th grade was because I got hit with a line drive in the eye... Though the wickedest was when my pal Colin, who was on the team because he was a great guy and because him being on the team meant I was only the second worst guy playing, had a hard grounder skip up and catch him straight in the nuts. I thought he was going to die (he also had more than a couple grounders pop out of his mitt and hit him in the face). The danger of 9" softball's why I play mostly Clincher anymore...

By: kosem

kosem — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 20:03:50 -0800

I had the good fortune to watch Randy Velarde, the then second baseman for Oakland turn an unassisted triple play against the Yankees three years ago. I was keeping score. My dad and I looked at eachother for a few seconds, a bit puzzled. The whole stadium just kinda sat there for a second absorbing what had happened. "Did he just? Wait...for real? Damn!" Second coolest thing I've seen at a baseball game. The first? David Wells's perfect game against the Twins in 1998. I've had a good run.

By: azpenguin

azpenguin — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 23:33:01 -0800

I don't remember the name or year but I do remember the sequence of events: men on 1st and 2nd. Batter hits a line drive to SS/2B? who catches it, steps on 2nd base, and tags the runner coming in from first. posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 2:37 PM on April 30 [+] [!] No, Who didn't catch it. He's on first and had no reason to cover 2B on that play.

By: AJaffe

AJaffe — Tue, 01 May 2007 06:22:25 -0800

Wamby's unassisted triple play against Brooklyn in the 1920 Series also came in the same game as the first World Series grand slam (I believe by Indians' outfielder Elmer Smith). Wamby's double-play partner, Joe Sewell, known as the toughest man to strike out in the game, was called up earlier in the season after Ray Chapman became the only major leaguer to die as a result of action on the playing field, after getting hit in the head by a pitch (from Yanks' sidearmer -- and spitballer) Carl Mays)... Yes, I'm a baseball geek...

By: AJaffe

AJaffe — Tue, 01 May 2007 06:42:45 -0800

And here's the box score of that game: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1920/B10100CLE1920.htm

By: Navelgazer

Navelgazer — Tue, 01 May 2007 08:00:00 -0800

For a (partial) explanation of the gap, read up on the "dead-ball era." As for how a first baseman could pull off that play... um... I guess if he caught it, stepped on the bag, and then rushed to 2nd as the 2nd base runner was still playing too agressively to know he had to trace back... still, that'swhat 2nd basemen are for. TO catch that throw.

By: dw

dw — Tue, 01 May 2007 08:07:46 -0800

For a (partial) explanation of the gap, read up on the "dead-ball era." The gap didn't happen in the dead-ball era. It started in 1927 and ended in 1968. Basically, Babe Ruth's peak year to the Year of the Pitcher. And the next gap spanned the relatively balanced years of the 1970s and 80s. The recent spurt has been during an offensive explosion, though this past month has seen a relative dearth of offense. In short, don't look at the dead-ball era as an explanation. As well, there was 30 year gap between perfect games, and there have been 5 in my lifetime.

By: Navelgazer

Navelgazer — Tue, 01 May 2007 09:06:33 -0800

dw, I meant that the dead-ball era helps to explain some of the early relative "glut" of them, but your explanation is much better. Thanks.

By: AJaffe

AJaffe — Tue, 01 May 2007 09:15:12 -0800

I don't know that you can really explain it -- it seems that most of them fall under the same category, runners in motion on first and second with no one out with a line drive up the middle that's caught. You wanna talk rare -- how about the APBA baseball rainout? That's rare! (I was always a Strat-O-Matic fan myself... Frank Mccourt once let me cut class so I could go up to Glenhead, N.Y. to pick up the new cards on the day they came out. But enough about me...)

By: LordSludge

LordSludge — Wed, 02 May 2007 07:10:57 -0800

Our shortstop in little league got an unassisted triple play, although it was kinda weak: Bases loaded, botter pops an infield fly. (We didn't have an infield fly rule yet.) Runners take off running like the 8 year old idiots that they are. Shortstop catches the fly, touches third, then leisurely trots back to second and touches it. Of course, the reason for not throwing the ball to second is that 8 years olds don't always throw (nor catch) all that well.

By: ORthey

ORthey — Thu, 03 May 2007 11:09:16 -0800

God, I love baseball. So very much. ESPN had a thing about comparing this other rare events in major sports, such as goals scored by goalies in hockey, or quadruple doubles in basketball (4 times each? I can't remember). PS - I love baseball.