Rarest plays in sports?

[robardin]

They say that in baseball, every game you'll see something new. Well that was certainly true of a Mariners/Devil Rays game last Saturday, as ESPN's Jayson Stark notes (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=2578005) in his regular column on "Useless Info":

You can't exactly say the Mariners hit into a triple play Saturday in Tampa Bay. They did something way more creative than that. They allowed the Devil Rays to turn a triple play without a ball even being hit -- or, in fact, without a bat even being swung.

Yep, it was the old 2-6-2: Strikeout looking. Runner on first thrown out stealing second. Runner on third thrown out trying to sneak home.

Think you don't see that much? Bingo. Devil Rays public relations genius Rick Vaughn headed right for the SABR triple-play database and determined:

This was the first 2-6-2 triple play in history. And it was only the second TP ever to start with a strikeout and involve just two players. The other was a 2-3 trifecta pulled off by the Chicago White Stockings against the Cleveland Blues on May 20, 1880.

How often do you hear "first <X> in baseball history"? Flying birds have been hit and killed by baseballs in play more often than that!

Anybody have any similar examples from baseball or any other sport? Preferably one you've seen happen on TV or in person.

Personally, the weirdest thing I've seen (twice) was a runner scoring from second base on a "sacrifice", both times involving the Mets. Once when Benny Agbayani in left field caught a fly ball with one out, thought it was the third one and gave the ball to a young boy in the field boxes as he started jogging back to the dugout. The runner on second tagged up and ran to third as Benny stopped, ran back to the boy and literally grabbed the ball back from the rather surprised and upset child in an attempt to throw the ball back into play. Poor kid. While all this was happening the third base coach sent the "runner" home.

The other time was last year during an interleague play against the Yankees, where the otherwise forgettable relief pitcher Dae Sung Koo hit a most improbable double against Randy Johnson, then while taking third on a sacrifice bunt fielded halfway up the first-base line by the catcher Jorge Posada, took it into his head to chug along and run home. It was a bang-bang play as Posada raced back to the plate, took the throw back from the first baseman and tried to tag him, to no avail.

[Wee Bairn]

Has a soccer goalkeeper ever scored from a goal kick? I think that would be pretty rare.

[Lochdale]

Has a soccer goalkeeper ever scored from a goal kick? I think that would be pretty rare.

I remember seeing video of Pat Jennings scoring a goal from a kick out from his hands. Those sorts of goals no longer count though.

[MaxTheVool]

There's a play in Ultimate called simply "the play" because it is so rare and special. It consists of jumping out of bounds, catching the disc while you're still in the air, then THROWING the disc while you're still in the air, and having someone catch it.

If the person who catches it is in the end zone, then you make "the play" and score a goal at the same time.


I never even saw anyone make "the play", much less score a goal.

[RealityChuck]

Depends on what you mean. There are so many ways to slice and dice statistics that you can probably find a few "first time in MLB history" events each year.

For instance, on August 22 of this year, when the Mets played St. Louis, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, and Luis Pujols all hit home runs. It was the first time in baseball history that three players who already had 30 home runs for the season homered in the same game.

There was another game a few weeks ago where David Wright reached first base seven minutes after he hit the ball. The umpire blew the call (it hit the bag, but he called it foul), and it took that time to reverse it. Maybe not unique, but certainly unusual.

[Fred D]

One of the reasons why I love the Steelers so much is their willingness to pull out crazy trick plays deep into the playoffs. For example, against the Bengals (in what has been inaccurately called a flea-flicker):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dtM7CWhMIWk&mode=related&search=

Wide reciever takes the direct snap and runs right, passes to the QB who has gone wide to the left, then QB bombs it downfield for the touchdown.

[HeyHomie]

I once saw a guy make three errors on one play. This would have been at the old Busch Stadium in St. Louis, early 1990's.

The opposing batter hits a Texas-league pop up toward third base. He starts casually walking toward first base, knowing he's going to be out. The Cards' third baseman (I believe it was Todd Zelie) camps under the ball and waits for it... and it falls into and out of his glove. Error #1.

Seeing that the ball is in play, the runner makes a mad dash toward first base. Zeile hurls it toward first base.... and into the dugout. Error #2.

The Cards' first-baseman fishes the ball out of the dugout. By this time the runner is appropaching third base, so he hurls the ball toward Zeile at third base. Zeile dropped the ball. Error #3.

By this time the Cards fans didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

[Chez Guevara]

I remember seeing video of Pat Jennings scoring a goal from a kick out from his hands. Those sorts of goals no longer count though.
Poland v Colombia 30 May 2006. (http://www.gulp.com.br/?p=791)

[Malacandra]

I remember seeing video of Pat Jennings scoring a goal from a kick out from his hands. Those sorts of goals no longer count though.

I am fairly sure you'll find they do - a kick from hand is open play, not a set-piece, and if the keeper actually has the range and the opposing keeper grossly misfields it, good luck to him. This is not the same as a "goal kick" which is a restart place-kick from inside the six-yard box.

Some non-goalkeeper scored one from inside his own half last English season IIRC. That's extremely rare.

[John DiFool]

There's Doug Flutie's dropkick. Likely will never see another one of those for another 100 years...

[GorillaMan]

Some non-goalkeeper scored one from inside his own half last English season IIRC. That's extremely rare.
Alonso, in the FA cup, Luton v Liverpool - last goal shown here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhDZmWx62Ew)

[GorillaMan]

Actually, this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wper6127BKk) is better, for the replay from behind the Liverpool goal, where you can see the goalkeeper realise too late that he's fucked it up.

[Morbo]

Fuzzy Zoeller's bizarre hole-in-one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGYNBIMcUGA).

[RealityChuck]

I once saw a guy make three errors on one play. This would have been at the old Busch Stadium in St. Louis, early 1990's.Impressive, but not a record: third baseman Mike Grady of the 1895 New York Giants* made four on one play. The situation was similar to what you described (Grady bobbled a grounder, overthrew first, and then dropped the throw as the runner went for third. When the runner ran home, Grady tossed the ball away.


*Grady didn't play for the Giants until 1899, though, so either the date or the team is wrong.

[Shoeless]

I can think of two instances last year where the St Louis Blues scored goals against themselves, which I'm sure happens occasionally, but probably not like this:

In the first one, I forget who they were playing, but an opposing player took a shot on goal that was too high, the puck bounced off the glass behind the goalie, hit the goalie in the back of the head, and into the goal.

In the second one, I think they were playing Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay has a delayed penalty called on them. Blues pull their goalie to get an extra skater on the ice. Not a very risky move because as soon as a TB player touches the puck, the play is dead. One of the Blues players kicks a pass backwards to a teammate behind him -- unfortunately, that player has started heading for the bench. The puck drifts all the way back down the ice and into St Louis' open goal.

[Yookeroo]

Paraguyan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Luis_Chilavert) scored 62 goald in his professional career. He took a lot of free kicks and penalties.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

Brad Johnson once threw a touchdown pass to himself. I think it was the only time that's ever happened.

[What Exit?]

Around 1987 the Braves pulled off a triple steal. I am pretty sure it was against Houston. Insult to injury, the Houston catcher was injured on the play. Final irony, Braves lost anyway.

I do not think it has happened since, and I do not know if it happen before. If it did, I would guess in the Deadball era.

I know someone is going to post it happen again tonight.

Jim

[Malacandra]

Alonso, in the FA cup, Luton v Liverpool - last goal shown here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhDZmWx62Ew)

The best part was, some lucky stiff had a bet on Alonso to score from his own half during the course of the game. About as long-range a punt as the actual goal!

[Kyla]

I once saw the hidden ball trick pulled off, in person, when I was a kid. And as far as I could tell, everyone in the park was fooled, too; I remember being completely baffled as to what had happened. My dad had to explain it to me. Looking at this list (http://www.retrosheet.org/hidden.htm) of successful completions of the hidden ball trick, it must have been the 1990 one that I witnessed.

[Freddy the Pig]

Around 1987 the Braves pulled off a triple steal. I am pretty sure it was against Houston. Insult to injury, the Houston catcher was injured on the play. Final irony, Braves lost anyway.Your memory is good--Atlanta did indeed pull off a triple steal in the fourth inning of a 6-5 loss to Houston on October 1, 1987.

The Houston pitcher was Danny Darwin, whom I don't remember as being particularly inept at holding runners on base. But he must have been dozing on this particular night, as the fourth inning had a Charlie-Brown-ish sequence in which Gerald Perry walked, stole second, and continued to third on the catcher's error, Ken Oberkfell walked and stole second, Jeff Blauser walked, and with two outs and the pitcher at bat, all three runners pulled off a triple steal. After catcher Ronn Reynolds was injured and replaced, his successor allowed another run on a passed ball.

However, this was far the first triple steal. There have been documented cases as long ago as 1900, and googling turns up references to Ty Cobb and Jackie Robinson being on the front end of triple steals. Since steals of home in general have become much more rare, I have to think the play is rarer now than it has ever been, and you may well have seen the last one. I can't find a complete list, however.

[What Exit?]

Your memory is good--Atlanta did indeed pull off a triple steal in the fourth inning of a 6-5 loss to Houston on October 1, 1987.

The Houston pitcher was Danny Darwin, whom I don't remember as being particularly inept at holding runners on base. But he must have been dozing on this particular night, as the fourth inning had a Charlie-Brown-ish sequence in which Gerald Perry walked, stole second, and continued to third on the catcher's error, Ken Oberkfell walked and stole second, Jeff Blauser walked, and with two outs and the pitcher at bat, all three runners pulled off a triple steal. After catcher Ronn Reynolds was injured and replaced, his successor allowed another run on a passed ball.

However, this was far the first triple steal. There have been documented cases as long ago as 1900, and googling turns up references to Ty Cobb and Jackie Robinson being on the front end of triple steals. Since steals of home in general have become much more rare, I have to think the play is rarer now than it has ever been, and you may well have seen the last one. I can't find a complete list, however.
Cool, as recent as Jackie. I am a little surprised. Ty Cobb being involved in one I would have guess. Did you look up the game in question somehow, or did you see and keep score? I did not bother googling last night, it was too late. I guess I should have. I did not expect the game to be on-line except maybe buried in retro-sheet. That is too much work for that time of night.
I only saw the game by dumb luck, I was in San Diego on the USS Ranger and we got TBS but no other baseball, I was jonesing for a game and watched a special one. I had no rooting interest and yet I got a great memory out of it.
If you have a scorecard or found, is there any chance you could email me a scan of it or a link?

Jim

[What Exit?]

Sorry for the double post, I did have a rooting interest. I just remembered I was rooting for Houston as Yogi Berra was coaching for them. :smack: Almost 20 years ago, its a miracle I remember it at all.

Jim

[MovieMogul]

I remember being quite young (early 70s) and seeing a center fielder catch a foul ball for an out. I think I remember hearing that that was a first of its kind at the time.

[jackelope]

Last year I was watching one of those awesome NFL Films "history of football" things, and they interviewed a guy who played for (I think) the Steelers in the 70s. He was a cornerback or a safety, IIRC. Something on defense.

Early in one game he caught an interception. As the apparently brutal game progressed, the Steelers lost all of their quarterbacks to injury, and the coach asked around the team to see if anyone had ever played quarterback. Our Man piped up and said Yes, he'd played QB in high school, but not since.

OK, says the coach, you're our new QB. So the guy goes into the game at quarterback, and...

Becomes the first (and probably last) guy in history to both catch an interception and throw and interception in the same game.

I thought that was a pretty cool claim to fame (even if I've forgotten his name). And as football gets more and more specialized and playbooks get more complex, I think it's increasingly unlikely that this will ever happen again.

[Freddy the Pig]

If you have a scorecard or found, is there any chance you could email me a scan of it or a link? The play-by-play of every game since 1957 is at http://www.retrosheet.org, but for some reason their coding makes it hard to link directly to individual games. Just go to the web site, then "box scores", then 1987, and then navigate to the game by date or by team.

[MadTheSwine]

I once saw the hidden ball trick pulled off, in person, when I was a kid. And as far as I could tell, everyone in the park was fooled, too; I remember being completely baffled as to what had happened. My dad had to explain it to me. Looking at this list (http://www.retrosheet.org/hidden.htm) of successful completions of the hidden ball trick, it must have been the 1990 one that I witnessed.

Jeez-o-petes,Ozzie Guillen got caught 3 times with the hidden ball trick.

Also noticed that trio of bear cubs Tinker,Evers and Chance all got caught once.

Oink

[ZipperJJ]

I saw the Cleveland Indians game on TV where Carlos Baerga hit 2 home runs in one inning, from each side of the plate.


The switch-hitting Baerga was the first of two players to have ever hit one home run from both sides of the plate in the same inning. He did so on April 8, 1993 against the New York Yankees pitchers Steve Howe and Steve Farr in the games 7th Inning. On August 29, 2002 he was joined by Chicago Cubs utility player Mark Bellhorn, who completed the feat against the Milwaukee Brewers.


I also saw the home run that bounced off of Jose Canseco's head in 1993. Not sure if that's an amazing feat or just damn funny :)

It's fun to be a Tribe fan. Even though the team generally sucks, there's rarely a dull moment!

[cckerberos]

The play-by-play of every game since 1957 is at http://www.retrosheet.org, but for some reason their coding makes it hard to link directly to individual games. Just go to the web site, then "box scores", then 1987, and then navigate to the game by date or by team.
Here (http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B10010HOU1987.htm)'s the game.

[What Exit?]

Here (http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B10010HOU1987.htm)'s the game.
Thank you, sometimes it pays to procrastinate. ;) I was going to get around to looking it up. I even mentioned Retrosheet in my post above.
Even more amazing reading the log:
BRAVES 4TH: Murphy lined to first; Perry walked; Virgil made an
out to left; Perry stole second [Perry to third (error by R.
Reynolds)]; Oberkfell walked; Oberkfell stole second; Blauser
was walked intentionally; AFENIR REPLACED R. REYNOLDS (PLAYING C
); Perry stole home and Oberkfell stole third and Blauser stole
second; Afenir allowed a passed ball [Oberkfell scored
(unearned), Blauser to third]; Palmer struck out; 2 R, 0 H, 1 E,
1 LOB. Braves 4, Astros 0.
5 steals with an error and a passed ball in very short order, crazy inning. All three men got on base from walks, no hits and yet 2 runs scored. Wow!

Jim

[DKW]

For football, I nominated the missed field goal returned for a touchdown.

The what? Well, I didn't know it then either, but as long as the ball is still in bounds, it's legal for a defender to recover it. Of course, this is normally a bad idea, because the defensive team would almost certainly get far better field position from the missed attempt. In other words, the only time anyone ever even attempts this is 1. the very last play of the half 2. when the opposing kicker is way out of his range and they go for the field goal anyway for some stupid reason.

On one Monday Night Football (didn't record the teams, sorry), someone caught the miss and returned it 107 yards, a record I'm pretty sure won't be broken. Believe it or not, I think that was the second time it happened that season.

For my new favorite sport, mixed martial arts, few feats can compare to winning after throwing one blow. There've been a few wins decided with a hard shot, but throwing one strike for the entire fight and getting a knockout...that's pretty amazing. The recent episode of The Ultimate Fighter showed one of these. Gary Goodridge once lost to a single roundhouse kick, but I don't remember if that was the only strike his opponent attempted.

If you can stand another sumo reference, there's the highly memorable 5-man playoff which concluded the November 1996 tournament. Never came close to happening again since. Musashimaru won it with three straight wins after winning his regular match, making him the only rikishi to win four matches on the same day.

[bob_loblaw]

last year i was involved in a play, that while not unheard of, is one of the rarer plays in hockey; i scored a point while i was not on the ice.

i took a pass from below the circle at my blue line, then relayed it to the opposite wing before changing... the winger who recieved my pass ended up scoring after deking both opposing d and their goalie... i was credited with the assist, but not the plus for my +/- rating.

[HeyHomie]

On one Monday Night Football (didn't record the teams, sorry), someone caught the miss and returned it 107 yards, a record I'm pretty sure won't be broken.

Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers. The kick was returned by Nate Vasher. I'm not 100% sure that it was a Monday night game, but that's neither here nor there.

Vasher himself said that, even though it was a 107-yard TD run, he probably covered about 200 yards with all the zigging and zagging he did. Note how he collapses in the end zone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6cdaqY3heI) a the end of the play!

[HeyHomie]

I'm not 100% sure that it was a Monday night game

November 13, 2005. A Sunday.

[asterion]

For football, I nominated the missed field goal returned for a touchdown.

The what? Well, I didn't know it then either, but as long as the ball is still in bounds, it's legal for a defender to recover it. Of course, this is normally a bad idea, because the defensive team would almost certainly get far better field position from the missed attempt. In other words, the only time anyone ever even attempts this is 1. the very last play of the half 2. when the opposing kicker is way out of his range and they go for the field goal anyway for some stupid reason.

On one Monday Night Football (didn't record the teams, sorry), someone caught the miss and returned it 107 yards, a record I'm pretty sure won't be broken. Believe it or not, I think that was the second time it happened that season.
The return in the Bears-Niners game last year was a good one (especially all that downfield blocking.) However, there was a game on Monday night, September 30, 2002, that I remember because it involved the Broncos losing to the Ravens. Besides being an awful game for the Broncos (and me getting some crap the next morning from the Steelers fans at school) Chris McAllister returned a missed 57-yard Jason Elam field goal either 107 or 108 (the NFL records 107, ESPN reported it as 108) yards for the TD. One of the reasons the game sticks out in my mind is because that was one of the few Broncos games I knew I would be able to see that season and had been really looking forward to it. I can't find video of it anywhere.

Anyway, here's the play from the NFL. (:01) J.Elam 57 yard field goal is No Good Center-M.Lepsis Holder-T.Rouen. C.McAlister at BLT -7 for 107 yards TOUCHDOWN.

[Wee Bairn]

Not a "play", but to carry on the point Reality Chuck made, yesterday the Phillies Marlins game was the first in history where two players whose last names start with "U" hit a home run.

[Shoeless]

Again, not a single play, but the Kansas City Royals, who always find new ways to lose, played a game against Cleveland a couple weeks back where they scored 10 runs in the first inning and still managed to lose the game. I remember reading that it was only the second time a team has lost after scoring that many runs in the first.

[Mahaloth]

I saw Michigan play Indiana(perhaps Indiana State) a few years ago.

On third down, Indiana decides to punt so they can catch Michigan off guard. Unfortunately, they fumbled it and lost about 20-25 yards. So on 4th and 35, they punt again.

However, they fumble again and this time Michigan grabbed the ball and ran it down for a touch down.

Anyone remember this?

[Airman Doors, USAF]

Football field goal tending is very rare. As near as I can tell the only person successful at this particular tactic was a guy named R.C. Owens back in the 1960s. Nobody will ever again have any success at it, either, because it is now illegal.

[Marley23]

One of the most oft-cited baseball oddities: Fernando Tatis, who in 1999 hit two grand slams in the same inning for the St. Louis Cardinals. He's the only player ever to do hit two in one inning. I guess Chan Ho Park deserves a mention here, too, since he's the only pitcher ever to give up two grand slams to the same batter in the same inning.

[Crusoe]

Tranmere goalkeeper Gavin Ward scored against Leyton Orient from a free kick in his own area on 4 September this year.

[Crusoe]

Wrong date. Saturday 2 September.

[Freddy the Pig]

On third down, Indiana decides to punt so they can catch Michigan off guard. Unfortunately, they fumbled it and lost about 20-25 yards. So on 4th and 35, they punt again.

However, they fumble again and this time Michigan grabbed the ball and ran it down for a touch down.

Anyone remember this?I'm not sure if we're thinking about the same thing--I do remember a sequence (10/14/2000) in which Indiana quick-kicked against Michigan on third down and had the kick blocked, but recovered to retain possession. Then they punted again on fourth down, and had the kick blocked again and returned for a touchdown. Blocked punts on consecutive plays--very rare indeed.

I was credited with the assist, but not the plus for my +/- rating.It never occurred to me that this was possible . . . but now that you mention it, it seems so obvious!

[Ogre]

For college football, I nominate Tyrone Prothro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3fs29OA2Nw)'s incredible catch last year against Southern Miss. If I live to be a thousand, don't expect to ever see that catch repeated.

Man, I hope that guy's leg heals fast. :(

[dinahmoe]

On 70/29/2003 Billy Mueller became the fisrt player to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in the same game. I love that man.

[beergeek279]

Last year I was watching one of those awesome NFL Films "history of football" things, and they interviewed a guy who played for (I think) the Steelers in the 70s. He was a cornerback or a safety, IIRC. Something on defense.

Early in one game he caught an interception. As the apparently brutal game progressed, the Steelers lost all of their quarterbacks to injury, and the coach asked around the team to see if anyone had ever played quarterback. Our Man piped up and said Yes, he'd played QB in high school, but not since.

OK, says the coach, you're our new QB. So the guy goes into the game at quarterback, and...

Becomes the first (and probably last) guy in history to both catch an interception and throw and interception in the same game.

I thought that was a pretty cool claim to fame (even if I've forgotten his name). And as football gets more and more specialized and playbooks get more complex, I think it's increasingly unlikely that this will ever happen again.

The player was Tony Dungy (yes, the Indy coach).

[MadTheSwine]

So far this week in the NFL, 6 teams have failed to score a touchdown,(2 of those 6 won),doubt if thats a record tho.

[beergeek279]

Something I've only (somewhat) seen once is the 1 point safety on a conversion in college football. It happened in a Texas/Texas A&M game where the defending team (A&M) fumbled the ball across the goal line and were tackled by the converting team (UT), who promptly earned one point.

Even more impossbly is the defensive team scoring that 1 pt. safety, mostly since the offense would have to drop back 97 yards for this to happen :D
(I've done it on NCAA Football '07 for shits and giggles, and yes, the defending team does get one point). I suppose it could also work for trivia..."How could an American football team have only 1 point on the board?"

[brianjedi]

The rarest baseball play has to be the unassisted triple play, which has only been done 12 times in MLB history, and only 5 times since 1927.

The last to do it was Rafael Furcal for the Braves against the Cardinals in 2003.

[pulykamell]

Has a soccer goalkeeper ever scored from a goal kick? I think that would be pretty rare.

Here's another one. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwOaEOYofzw)

And another one. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2GdJZ4abhc) (The pitch looks a little shorter in this one, though.)

Some more. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYJm9bDy_qA)

Another angle of the Colombian one. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx7AKHhDy90)

[aktep]

I came in to post beergeek279's play, but I have to make a correction: Texas was not "promptly" given 1 point on that play.
At first, the officials in the endzone gave the "try no good" signal. Then after a discussion where it was determined that A&M got possession of the kick in the field of play before fumbling it into the endzone, a safety was declared and announced by the referee. The scoreboard operator placed the point on the A&M side of the scoreboard. It was then corrected, but the process from play ending to point being applied to the Texas score probably took 5 minutes. I was trying to help them from my seats in the 50th row of the upper deck, but I guess they couldn't hear me.

[jackelope]

The player was Tony Dungy (yes, the Indy coach).Thanks! Wow, I suddenly like Tony Dungy even more than I did before.

[Who_me?]

Last year I was watching one of those awesome NFL Films "history of football" things, and they interviewed a guy who played for (I think) the Steelers in the 70s. He was a cornerback or a safety, IIRC. Something on defense.

Early in one game he caught an interception. As the apparently brutal game progressed, the Steelers lost all of their quarterbacks to injury, and the coach asked around the team to see if anyone had ever played quarterback. Our Man piped up and said Yes, he'd played QB in high school, but not since.

OK, says the coach, you're our new QB. So the guy goes into the game at quarterback, and...

Becomes the first (and probably last) guy in history to both catch an interception and throw and interception in the same game.

I thought that was a pretty cool claim to fame (even if I've forgotten his name). And as football gets more and more specialized and playbooks get more complex, I think it's increasingly unlikely that this will ever happen again.


I seriously doubt he was the first to catch and to throw an interception in the same game. You have to remember the old two way players. In 1943 Sammy Baugh (http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=21) led the league in defensive interceptions while also being the starting QB for the Redskins and throwing 19 picks.

[Asimovian]

One of the most oft-cited baseball oddities: Fernando Tatis, who in 1999 hit two grand slams in the same inning for the St. Louis Cardinals. He's the only player ever to do hit two in one inning. I guess Chan Ho Park deserves a mention here, too, since he's the only pitcher ever to give up two grand slams to the same batter in the same inning.*sigh*

As a life-long Dodger fan who happened to be watching that game (up until Tatis' second), I was really, really hoping no one would bring this up.

[What Exit?]

*sigh*

As a life-long Dodger fan who happened to be watching that game (up until Tatis' second), I was really, really hoping no one would bring this up.
Speaking of Dodgers, there was of course Reggie Jackson hotting 4 straight Home runs in 4 consecutive pitches by 4 different pitchers against the Dodgers in the World Series. 1 the night before in his final at bat and 3 the next game.

Jim

[Asimovian]

Speaking of Dodgers, there was of course Reggie Jackson hotting 4 straight Home runs in 4 consecutive pitches by 4 different pitchers against the Dodgers in the World Series. 1 the night before in his final at bat and 3 the next game.

JimFortunately, that was before my time. I have a hard time being bitter about such things. :) And I consider Hee Seop Choi's three home runs off the same pitcher in consecutive at-bats last year (June 12th, don't remember the opponent) to make up for that, somehow -- logic be damned!

[NoCoolUserName]

Something I've only (somewhat) seen once is the 1 point safety on a conversion in college football. It happened in a Texas/Texas A&M game where the defending team (A&M) fumbled the ball across the goal line and were tackled by the converting team (UT), who promptly earned one point.

Even more impossbly is the defensive team scoring that 1 pt. safety, mostly since the offense would have to drop back 97 yards for this to happen :D
(I've done it on NCAA Football '07 for shits and giggles, and yes, the defending team does get one point). I suppose it could also work for trivia..."How could an American football team have only 1 point on the board?"I'm having trouble visualizing this one. Who has the ball, and who fumbles it and it gets recovered where?

Is this in the NFL rules somewhere or only NCAA?

[aktep]

In the NFL, the defense cannot score on a try, so the try is over when the defense gains possession or a kick is blocked. In NCAA, the defense or offense can score on the try. Touchdowns scored on a try are worth 2 points, safeties and field goals are worth 1 point.

The play worked in this manner:
Texas scored a TD, as they tend to do early and often against A&M these days.
Texas lined up to kick a point after.
The snap was muffed, and the kick was a poor one right into the line.
The ball was picked up by an A&M player at about the 1 or 2 yard line. This is still a live ball, and A&M can return this for a two-point "touchdown".
The A&M player is hit and fumbles the ball into the endzone.
The ball is covered and downed by an A&M player in the endzone. Since A&M was responsible for the ball being in the endzone, this is a safety awarded to Texas.

Since this safety occured on the try, Texas still kicks off, and kicks from the 35. (In "open play" the safety would result in A&M kicking from the 20).

This play has been enshrined in the NCAA rulebook as Approved Rulings 8-3-1-IV and 8-3-2-XII:

8-3-1-IV:
IV. During a try, after having gained possession on the one-yard line, Team B fumbles there and then recovers, and is downed in the Team B end zone. RULING: Safety. Award Team A one point (Rule 8-1-1).

8-3-2-XII:
XII. On a one-point try attempt, Team A’s kick is blocked and B75 recovers at the two-yard line. As B75 attempts to advance, he fumbles and the ball rolls into the end zone, where B61 recovers and is downed. RULING: Safety. Award Team A one point (Rule 8-1-1).

[Trunk]

I saw Brady Anderson get hit by a pitch twice in the same inning. The first one was by Mike Morgan, who, IIRC, hit 3 batters that inning before they pulled him. Yeah, that Mike Morgan who pitched for like 50 years for 75 different teams. I liked
him.

Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers. The kick was returned by Nate Vasher. I'm not 100% sure that it was a Monday night game, but that's neither here nor there.

Vasher himself said that, even though it was a 107-yard TD run, he probably covered about 200 yards with all the zigging and zagging he did. Note how he collapses in the end zone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6cdaqY3heI) a the end of the play!
There was a Ravens MNF game a few years back where I think Jermaine Lewis (maybe) was credited with a 107 yd return. If I'm not mistaken, it was on an end of the half FG attempt that fell short.

They might have later changed it to 106 yards.



Oh. . .

http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/release.jsp?release_id=1331

It was Chris McAlister. 107 yards. Longest return of missed Fg. Definitely a Monday Night Game.

Same page indicates that Ed Reed has the longest interception return (106) yards for a touchdown.

[RealityChuck]

Back in a game in the late 60s, the Oakland Raiders scored in all possible ways (at the time) before the Denver Broncos ran a play from scrimmage. The Raiders took the kickoff, and came down the field to score a TD and extra point. On the kickoff, Floyd Little grabbed the ball on the one and took it back in the end zone for a safety. The Broncos had to kick to the Raiders, who came down to get a field goal. (There was no two-point conversion at the time.)

There was also the classic play in 1927 where the Brooklyn Dodgers ended up with three baserunners on third base. Babe Herman hit a double and tried to stretch it to a triple. Chuck Fewster, on first, ran for third, too, while Dazzy Vance -- originally on second -- got caught in a rundown and retreated to third just as Herman and Fewster arrived. The third baseman tagged them all and waited for the umpire to make a decision; Beans Reardon decided that the rules gave the lead runner (Vance) priority, and the other two runners were out. One good element of the fiasco: the winning run scored on the play. And Babe Herman became a legend*. :)

*My favorite Babe Herman story: Herman was an atrocious fielder and grew tired of the jokes. (e.g., "He wore a glove for one reason: because it was a league custom.") Finally, he went up to one sportswriter and said "I'm tired of everyone saying I keep getting hit on the head by fly balls. If you can name a time when that happened, I'll buy you a dinner." The sportwriter asked, "How about being hit on the shoulder?" Herman replied, "Oh, no. On the shoulder doesn't count."

[fiddlesticks]

Oh. . .

http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/release.jsp?release_id=1331

It was Chris McAlister. 107 yards. Longest return of missed Fg. Definitely a Monday Night Game.

Same page indicates that Ed Reed has the longest interception return (106) yards for a touchdown.

That page is out of date. Last year the Bears' Nathan Vasher returned a FG 108 yards against the 49ers. The 49ers were attempting to kick a long field goal at the end of the first half against a strong wind. One of the biggest highlights of the whole '05 season. It is presently the longest play (of any type) in NFL history. Reed still holds the interception record.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6fFPHH6tzcM

Man, those Pumpkin orange uniforms are ugly.

[zamboniracer]

Last year I was watching one of those awesome NFL Films "history of football" things, and they interviewed a guy who played for (I think) the Steelers in the 70s. He was a cornerback or a safety, IIRC. Something on defense.

Early in one game he caught an interception. As the apparently brutal game progressed, the Steelers lost all of their quarterbacks to injury, and the coach asked around the team to see if anyone had ever played quarterback. Our Man piped up and said Yes, he'd played QB in high school, but not since.

OK, says the coach, you're our new QB. So the guy goes into the game at quarterback, and...

Becomes the first (and probably last) guy in history to both catch an interception and throw and interception in the same game.

I thought that was a pretty cool claim to fame (even if I've forgotten his name). And as football gets more and more specialized and playbooks get more complex, I think it's increasingly unlikely that this will ever happen again.


As beargeek said, the player was Tony Dungy. I just want to correct the record a bit in that Dungy played QB in college for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and was pretty darn good at it. He was the starter for 4 years and graduated holding most of the school's passing records.

[stuyguy]

I suppose it could also work for trivia..."How could an American football team have only 1 point on the board?"
There's another possibility. If one team forfeits a game, the official score is recorded as 0-1.

[Gangster Octopus]

I believe in golf a double eagle is rarer than a hole-in-one.

[RealityChuck]

In hockey, there's Bill Moisienko's three goals in 21 seconds. Not likely to be beaten.

[kunilou]

In 1906 White Sox first baseman Jiggs Donohue (http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:9uI8j2g77ZgJ:www.daveyball.com/00s.asp+baseball+%22first+baseman%22+%22no+putouts%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=8&lr=lang_en) played the entire game and recorded NO putouts. AFAIK it's never happened since.

[Rysto]

I once saw a team's punter and kicker hook up for a 30 yard passing play. It was a trick play pulled by the Ottawa Renegades in a game in Edmonton. The Renegades set up for the field goal on, but instead made a direct snap to the kicker. The kicker took off to the left, and the Eskimos started chasing him. Just before he got crunched, the kicker pulled off a perfect shovel pass to the holder(who was also Renegades' punter) who went off for at least 30 yards before the Eskimos caught him inside the 10.

The result of the play? A penalty. Ineligible receiver. The punter wasn't wearing an eligible receiver's number. :smack:

Such is the life of a Renegade fan.

[Rysto]

I once saw a team's punter and kicker hook up for a 30 yard passing play. It was a trick play pulled by the Ottawa Renegades in a game in Edmonton. The Renegades set up for the field goal on, but instead made a direct snap to the kicker. The kicker took off to the left, and the Eskimos started chasing him. Just before he got crunched, the kicker pulled off a perfect shovel pass to the holder(who was also Renegades' punter) who went off for at least 30 yards before the Eskimos caught him inside the 10.

The result of the play? A penalty. Ineligible receiver. The punter wasn't wearing an eligible receiver's number. :smack:
In case it wasn't clear, yes, the play was designed that way. But no one in the coaching staff noticed that the punter wasn't wearing an eligible number.

[robardin]

Last year I was watching one of those awesome NFL Films "history of football" things, and they interviewed a guy who played for (I think) the Steelers in the 70s. He was a cornerback or a safety, IIRC. Something on defense.

Early in one game he caught an interception.[...] the guy goes into the game at quarterback, and...

Becomes the first (and probably last) guy in history to both catch an interception and throw and interception in the same game.

Huh. Is it possible for the guy who caught the interception to run down the field, then attempt some (boneheaded) kind of forward or lateral pass as he was getting pinned that then gets picked off?

There was also the oddity a few years back where a Colorado Rockies catcher became the winning pitcher. Ah yes -- Google tells me it was Brent Mayne, and here's a recap (http://espn.go.com/mlb/2000/20000822/recap/atlcol.html). Amusingly, he threw to Tom Glavine, a pitcher making a pinch-hitting appearance, for the first out. But not before shaking off the sign from "his" catcher -- "I wanted to see what it felt like," he said later.

[Airman Doors, USAF]

I believe in golf a double eagle is rarer than a hole-in-one.

While we're talking about golf, here's one for you:

CONDOR - 4 under par This mighty bird gives its name to the rarest of all occurences in golf: a hole in one on a par five. Only two are recorded. Shaun Lynch on the 496 yard 17th at Teign Valley in July 1995 and L. Brice on the 480 yard 5th at Hope CC, Arkansas in 1962. Both holes are dog-legs. (http://www.anyonefortee.com/Scoring/Birds.html)

Who even knew that there was such a thing as a Condor in golf? I mean, I knew about the Albatross, but those are already all but impossible. What kind of ridiculous luck must it take to go 4 under on a single hole?

[Marley23]

What kind of ridiculous luck must it take to go 4 under on a single hole?
If only we could ask Kim Jong-Il, who shoots three or four holes-in-one in a typical round. According to the North Korean press, I mean. :rolleyes:

[Omniscient]

Anyway, here's the play from the NFL. (:01) J.Elam 57 yard field goal is No Good Center-M.Lepsis Holder-T.Rouen. C.McAlister at BLT -7 for 107 yards TOUCHDOWN.

They called it a 108 yard return during the broadcast and on ESPN later that night but the official scorer upon reviewing the video declared it a 107 yard return in the official books the following day. At the time it was the longest play every. Nathan Vasher's play with the Bears last season was a 108 yard play and currently stands as the longest ever.

[Malacandra]

In the Fourth Test between England and Pakistan this season, Pakistan refused to take the field after the tea interval in an unprecedented fit of sulking over a decision the umpire awarded against them during the afternoon session. Umpire Darrell Hair (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Hair#2006_The_Oval) waited the requisite length of time before awarding the match to England by default. (Teams have left the field or refused to return to it before, but generally for reasons of safety after, for instance, being subjected to crowd abuse.)

This, incidentally, was the first such end to a Test match in over 1000 tests.

[Shirley Ujest]

I remember seeing video of Pat Jennings scoring a goal from a kick out from his hands. Those sorts of goals no longer count though.


I just talked to Mr. Ujest, who knows about these things, and he says this isn't as uncommon as you think and, AFAHK as far as he knows they are allowed.

Naturally, being a yank and not submerged into football like the rest of the world as he would like, I shall defer to another doper on this matter.

[ShibbOleth]

Something I've only (somewhat) seen once is the 1 point safety on a conversion in college football. It happened in a Texas/Texas A&M game where the defending team (A&M) fumbled the ball across the goal line and were tackled by the converting team (UT), who promptly earned one point.

Even more impossbly is the defensive team scoring that 1 pt. safety, mostly since the offense would have to drop back 97 yards for this to happen :D
(I've done it on NCAA Football '07 for shits and giggles, and yes, the defending team does get one point). I suppose it could also work for trivia..."How could an American football team have only 1 point on the board?"

I had no idea that this was one point. I know I've seen the defensive team score on an attempted extra point conversion but have no idea how many points they were awarded: 1, 2 or 6? (I think it was 2 points)

[Freddy the Pig]

Is it possible for the guy who caught the interception to run down the field, then attempt some (boneheaded) kind of forward or lateral pass as he was getting pinned that then gets picked off?An intercepted lateral is scored as a fumble. A forward pass during an interception return would be illegal, and would be penalized, but of course if it were intercepted the penalty would be declined. So it's theoretically possible to throw an interception while returning an interception. I've never heard of it happening, but given enough rolls of the dice . . .

[RealityChuck]

On July 21, 1986, the Mets had several players ejected in a brawl and were running out of players. Pitchers Jesse Orosco and Roger McDowell ended up in the lineup, switching between the outfield and pitching.

10th Inning: Orosco was pitching when the brawl took place. McDowell came in to pitch, with Orosco moving to right field. Mcdowell faced on batter to end the inning.

11th inning: Mcdowell faced the first three batters, then moved to right field to have Orosco get the final out.

12th inning: Orosco pitched the entire inning; McDowell started in right field, but moved to left.

13th inning: Orosco moved to right field (and caught a fly ball for a putout), McDowell pitched and remained on the mound in the 14th. The Mets scored in the top of the 14th to win the game.

[aktep]

I had no idea that this was one point. I know I've seen the defensive team score on an attempted extra point conversion but have no idea how many points they were awarded: 1, 2 or 6? (I think it was 2 points)

2. Touchdowns are worth 2, safeties and field goals worth 1.

[gonzomax]

In a Redwing hockey game years ago. Two players hit the puck simultaneously and it went way up in the air,past the light so it was invisible. It landed on a goalies back and bounced into the net. The newspapers showed diagrams with dotted lined showing the path.

[RealityChuck]

In a Redwing hockey game years ago. Two players hit the puck simultaneously and it went way up in the air,past the light so it was invisible. It landed on a goalies back and bounced into the net. The newspapers showed diagrams with dotted lined showing the path.I saw a similar thing happen in a college hockey game in the early 70s: The goalie (Steve Baker, who later played briefly in the NHL) lost the puck and it rolled down his back and into the net.

[Clothahump]

In the entire history of the American Bowling Congress, there have only been 3 perfect series of 900 recognized:

Troy Ockerman, December 1993
Norm Duke, April 1996
Jeremy Sonnenfeld, February 1997

[Monty]

Isn't a double hat trick in Cricket pretty rare?

[Pleonast]

Football field goal tending is very rare. As near as I can tell the only person successful at this particular tactic was a guy named R.C. Owens back in the 1960s. Nobody will ever again have any success at it, either, because it is now illegal.What exactly is field goal tending? (Assuming you mean American football.)

[aktep]

Jumping to knock down a kick as/before it goes through the goal posts. This is now illegal batting, safety if it goes out of bounds or the defense recovers, touchdown if the offense recovers in the endzone.

[AskNott]

For football, I nominated the missed field goal returned for a touchdown.
...
I have been to only 3 NFL games, but that happened at one of them. NY Jets at Indianapolis Colts, just a few seconds left in the half, and the Colts tried a field goal at the very edge of the kicker's range. The kick went wide and short (couldn't blame the wind, it was in a dome.) A Jet defender caught it in the end zone and ran with it. Ten of the Colts had already turned to walk to the locker room. Only the kicker saw the catch and knew what could happen. He made a valiant try at a tackle, but he failed. Touchdown. The Colts were still ahead, but the momentum had shifted. The Jets came back to win.

[furt]

In a Redwing hockey game years ago. Two players hit the puck simultaneously and it went way up in the air,past the light so it was invisible. It landed on a goalies back and bounced into the net. The newspapers showed diagrams with dotted lined showing the path.Gretzky did this a couple of times on purpose. He'd set up behind the opponent's net, and with the goalie looking left, then right, trying to figure which side Gretzky was going to come out on, he'd softly flip the puck up over the net, onto the goalie's back and in.

[Marley23]

Jumping to knock down a kick as/before it goes through the goal posts. This is now illegal batting, safety if it goes out of bounds or the defense recovers, touchdown if the offense recovers in the endzone.
Ah- so if the defense was leading by three at the very end of a game, they would actually be smart to try to bat the ball illegally. I never knew that was against the rules; I just figured it was too difficult to be worthwhile.

[Malacandra]

Isn't a double hat trick in Cricket pretty rare?

If you mean six wickets in six consecutive balls, that's never happened in the first-class game. IIRC no-one has ever taken five in five - Charlie Parker, for Gloucestershire, once bowled five consecutive deliveries that all beat the bat and hit the stumps, but the second was a no-ball and didn't count. But I thought we were after unusual plays rather than mere scoring feats.

The maximum of 36 runs off six consecutive deliveries (one "over"*) has been achieved twice in first-class cricket, once by Garry Sobers and once by Javed Miandad.

slight over-simplification for the seppoes

Wicketkeeper Leslie Ames once appealed twice on one delivery. He caught a ball that batsman Don Bradman, no less, had got a faint touch to, and seeing the Don out of his ground he also whipped the bails off for a stumping. The square-leg umpire turned down the appeal for the latter (presumably Bradman got a foot down in time) but the bowler's umpire uphelp the appeal for the catch. Some commentators thought that this was sharp practice, but Bradman was quite happy with the whole affair. (Baseball's double and triple plays have no counterpart in cricket; only one batsman can be out on any given play.)

[deadeyesdad]

I saw Tony Gwynn hit an inside the park grand slam. I know it was in the late '90s at Chavez Ravine and Brett Butler was playing LF. So I believe it wasJune 26, 1997 (http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B06260LAN1997.htm) This was the late in his career fat Tony. Watching him waddle around the bases was about as bad as watching Butler dive after a fly ball on the line and lay there looking at his glove after he missed it by about 5 feet.

[Monty]

If you mean six wickets in six consecutive balls, that's never happened in the first-class game.
That's exactly what I meant. I'd heard that it had happened some years ago. Oh, well.

BTW, would you happen to recall the name of the guy who sort of recently got the "award" for staying at the stumps the longest for a score of zero?

[SCSimmons]

And it was only the second TP ever to start with a strikeout and involve just two players. The other was a 2-3 trifecta pulled off by the Chicago White Stockings against the Cleveland Blues on May 20, 1880.

OK, I surrender. How in the name of heaven did that go down? It's been bugging me since this thread started ... Out one was the strikeout. Then, I guess, the catcher tagged a runner who'd been trying to steal home. Then threw out ... somebody at first. But if there was a runner at first, why wasn't he heading towards second? Why would the runner at third be trying to steal home if there wasn't a double steal on? Gah!

[brianjedi]

OK, I surrender. How in the name of heaven did that go down? It's been bugging me since this thread started ... Out one was the strikeout. Then, I guess, the catcher tagged a runner who'd been trying to steal home. Then threw out ... somebody at first. But if there was a runner at first, why wasn't he heading towards second? Why would the runner at third be trying to steal home if there wasn't a double steal on? Gah!

Same here... best I can come up with is this:

* Batter pops up a bunt down the 3rd base line for strike 3 (out 1.)
* Catcher tags runner coming home from 3rd (out 2.)
* Catcher fires to first to catch runner returning to 1st (out 3.)

Of course, I'm probably missing something that makes that implausible.

[Asimovian]

In the entire history of the American Bowling Congress, there have only been 3 perfect series of 900 recognized:

Troy Ockerman, December 1993
Norm Duke, April 1996
Jeremy Sonnenfeld, February 1997
I'm not sure what your source is, but the USBC (a joint organization that consists of the former ABC, WIBC and YABA) has recognized eleven 900 series, the most recent having occurred in April of this year. You can find a list of all of them at the end of this article (http://www.bowl.com/usyouthbowler/spotlight.aspx).

Norm Duke did indeed have 36 consecutive strikes in 1996, but the three games he bowled were split between two different squads in a tournament, and therefore did not count as a 900 series. A similar situation happened with Troy Ockerman, who bowled three consecutive 300 games, but over the course of two different events within the same tournament (he actually bowled a 4th 300 game in the same tournament :eek: ).


Check out this article (http://www.bowlingball.com/static/trivia1.php) for more details and several similarly salacious strike-stringing snippets.

[robardin]

And it was only the second TP ever to start with a strikeout and involve just two players. The other was a 2-3 trifecta pulled off by the Chicago White Stockings against the Cleveland Blues on May 20, 1880.OK, I surrender. How in the name of heaven did that go down? It's been bugging me since this thread started ...
Well, this webpage at SABR (http://tripleplays.sabr.org/tp_load.htm) (entitled Bases Loaded Triple Plays) gives a bit more detail:

5/20/1880, Chicago White Stockings vs. Cleveland Blues : 2*-3*-3*

So two of the outs came courtesy of the first baseman, not the catcher, and with no relays in between back to the catcher (given that the parameters only specified "involving just two players"). And, the bases were loaded, so the TP wasn't turned with men on first and third. Hmmmm.

[robardin]

Well, this webpage at SABR (http://tripleplays.sabr.org/tp_load.htm) (entitled Bases Loaded Triple Plays) gives a bit more detail...
Aha, and this here link (http://tripleplays.sabr.org/tp_1880.htm) (also from SABR) has even more detail: the play-by-play account.


5/20/1880
NL Chicago White Stockings vs NL Cleveland Blues
Lake Front Park I

Top 5 INNING
Score 0 - 1
PLAY SEQUENCE: 2*-3*-3*
Source: Chicago Tribune (SABR Ed Hartig)

Event: K+E2+2(3)1X2(23)3(B)/TP

3 Men On:
First: Frank Hankinson
Second: Bill "WB" Phillips
Third: Ned Hanlon

Out# Type Loc:
Batr: 3 F 1
Runr1: 2 T 1
Runr2: 4
Runr3: 1 F H

Jack Glasscock (CL2) is the batter.

He struck out, but the C (Silver Flint) took care to drop the third missed strike, then he touched the plate, forcing the runner from third, Ned Hanlon (OUT 1)

C then sent the ball like lightning to the 1B (Cap Anson) who first touched the runner at first, Frank Hankinson (OUT 2)

Then the 1B touched the bag to retire the batter, Jack Glasscock (OUT 3)


I don't think this is possible under "modern" baseball rules, if the catcher drops strike three the runners are not forced to run, are they?

[fiddlesticks]

I don't think this is possible under "modern" baseball rules, if the catcher drops strike three the runners are not forced to run, are they?

Yep. Baseball rule 6.05 (c) says "A batter is out when a third strike is not caught by the catcher when first base is occupied before two are out." This eliminates any sort of force situation on a dropped third strike. I wouldn't be surprised if the rule written in response to that play in 1880.

[SCSimmons]

Aha, and [url=http://tripleplays.sabr.org/tp_1880.htm]I don't think this is possible under "modern" baseball rules, if the catcher drops strike three the runners are not forced to run, are they?

Oh, rules changes--of course. The dropped third strike was one of the first things I thought of in trying to think of a 'weird' strikeout play that could have happened, but I quickly abandoned the idea. But given the rules as they were in 1880 ... That was one quick-thinking catcher, that's for sure.

[RealityChuck]

A 2-2-3 triple play could certainly still happen, assuming the runner was trying to steal home on his own, and a slow runner on first.

Runner on third breaks for home. Pitch is a third strike. Catcher catches the ball (one putout), then tags the runner coming in (two putouts). Runner on first zones out a bit and doesn't run for second. Catcher notices, tosses the ball to first before runner can get back. 2-2-3 triple play.

Now something like a 2-7-9 triple play is probably impossible.

[Asimovian]

Now something like a 2-7-9 triple play is probably impossible.That would have to be one hell of a game of Pickle.

[robardin]

Now something like a 2-7-9 triple play is probably impossible.
I dunno. I did see a game once where the outfielders were all playing extremely shallow, to the point of basically acting as infield backup. Sort of the opposite configuration of the "no-doubles" defense, it was a "no-groundball-hits" defense against a high-average, slap hitting and fast running batter (a Jason Tyner type, and it may even have been him), also allowing the corner basemen to play very close to the line to guard against doubles.

It worked, too: the batter hit a ball "through the hole" into right field, but the right fielder was able to pick it up and throw him out at first base for a rather unusual 9-3 putout.

Extending this scenario, you could imagine a men-on-first-and-second scenario with the outfielders playing infield, so to speak, and a double steal attempt made combined with a strikeout at home plate... Basically a "normal" 2-6-4 or somesuch triple play but with the outfielders covering the bases :)

[What Exit?]

I dunno. I did see a game once where the outfielders were all playing extremely shallow, to the point of basically acting as infield backup. Sort of the opposite configuration of the "no-doubles" defense, it was a "no-groundball-hits" defense against a high-average, slap hitting and fast running batter (a Jason Tyner type, and it may even have been him), also allowing the corner basemen to play very close to the line to guard against doubles.

It worked, too: the batter hit a ball "through the hole" into right field, but the right fielder was able to pick it up and throw him out at first base for a rather unusual 9-3 putout.

Extending this scenario, you could imagine a men-on-first-and-second scenario with the outfielders playing infield, so to speak, and a double steal attempt made combined with a strikeout at home plate... Basically a "normal" 2-6-4 or somesuch triple play but with the outfielders covering the bases :)
In the bottom of the 9th or later, with the go ahead run on 3rd and less than 2 outs is when most managers will pull their Outfielders in very shallow as a long fly out would still win the game. If bases were loaded and no one out, I guess a 2-7-9 triple play could happen, but I would still go with RealityChuck's probably impossible. At very least it is highly improbable.

Jim

[beergeek279]

Jumping to knock down a kick as/before it goes through the goal posts. This is now illegal batting, safety if it goes out of bounds or the defense recovers, touchdown if the offense recovers in the endzone.

Well, what if you could theoretically catch it? It seems impossible, but in conjunction with a rugby lineout-style lift, it could be done.

[aktep]

Catching* it would be ok, but a rugby style lift would be unsportsmanlike conduct.

NCAA 9-3-5-b:
b. No defensive player, in an attempt to block, bat or catch a kick, may:
1. Step, jump or stand on a teammate (Rule 9-1-2-q).
2. Place a hand(s) on a teammate to get leverage for additional height.
3. Be picked up by a teammate.

* you'd better catch it clean, too. If you muff it, I'm calling that a bat.

[SCSimmons]

A 2-2-3 triple play could certainly still happen, assuming the runner was trying to steal home on his own, and a slow runner on first.

By the rules, yes. But I can't see how it would ever happen in a game. With runners on first and third and no outs, any manager who would give a green light to the runner on third but not the runner on first, rather than calling a double steal, would probably be immediately lynched by the fans after they saw his incompetence set up a stupid triple-play.

[brianjedi]

By the rules, yes. But I can't see how it would ever happen in a game. With runners on first and third and no outs, any manager who would give a green light to the runner on third but not the runner on first, rather than calling a double steal, would probably be immediately lynched by the fans after they saw his incompetence set up a stupid triple-play.

Wouldn't it be (slightly) more likely that the manager puts the double steal on and the runner at 1st misses the sign, setting up the triple play?

[garygnu]

I saw a clip of a 4-4-4 triple play in a high school game. Has there been an unassisted triple play in the majors?

[brianjedi]

I saw a clip of a 4-4-4 triple play in a high school game. Has there been an unassisted triple play in the majors?

The rarest baseball play has to be the unassisted triple play, which has only been done 12 times in MLB history, and only 5 times since 1927.

The last to do it was Rafael Furcal for the Braves against the Cardinals in 2003.

It happens.

[garygnu]

damn it

[pulykamell]

I saw a clip of a 4-4-4 triple play in a high school game. Has there been an unassisted triple play in the majors?

It's rare, but there have been 13 of them in the majors. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unassisted_triple_play) I was at the game where John Valentin had an unassisted triple play, but I was looking the other way when it happened. :smack:

[RealityChuck]

By the rules, yes. But I can't see how it would ever happen in a game. With runners on first and third and no outs, any manager who would give a green light to the runner on third but not the runner on first, rather than calling a double steal, would probably be immediately lynched by the fans after they saw his incompetence set up a stupid triple-play.As I indicated, the runner on third decided to go on his own. But the runner on first missing the sign would also work.

I can't imagine how more than one outfielder would be able to cover a base for putout, though, and a 7-8-9 triple play couldn't happen in any plausible scenario.

[elmwood]

In curling, it's the 8-ender (http://www.pathcom.com/~curling/8ender.htm).

[Trillionaire]

If you mean six wickets in six consecutive balls, that's never happened in the first-class game. IIRC no-one has ever taken five in five - Charlie Parker, for Gloucestershire, once bowled five consecutive deliveries that all beat the bat and hit the stumps, but the second was a no-ball and didn't count. But I thought we were after unusual plays rather than mere scoring feats.


Actually, I believe a double hat-trick is four wickets in four balls (cite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hat_trick).) No idea how often it's ever been achieved though.

[jrepka]

For college football, I nominate Tyrone Prothro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3fs29OA2Nw)'s incredible catch last year against Southern Miss. If I live to be a thousand, don't expect to ever see that catch repeated.

Man, I hope that guy's leg heals fast. :(

Nice catch, but c'mon... in the history of college football? I give you: The Play (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUeyOuS70eI)

Here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Play) are the details... (Go Bears)

[Freddy the Pig]

Yep. Baseball rule 6.05 (c) says "A batter is out when a third strike is not caught by the catcher when first base is occupied before two are out." This eliminates any sort of force situation on a dropped third strike. I wouldn't be surprised if the rule written in response to that play in 1880.Believe it or not, the dropped-third-strike double/triple play wasn't eliminated (by the rule you cite) until 1887.

This seems surprising at first, since the play seems so easy that you would think catchers would attempt it every time. Two considerations, however: (1) Strikeouts weren't as common in the early days; in the 1880 National League there were only 3 per team per game. (2) Before the advent of fielder's gloves, whipping the ball around the infield wasn't as routine as it is today.

The only situation where the double play was routine was if the bases were loaded, when the catcher could step on the plate and throw to first. But if a batter were clumsy enough to strike out with the bases loaded and less than two outs, those were the breaks.

The combination of overhand pitching, curve balls, and fielders' gloves necessitated the 1887 rule change.

[gonzomax]

Homrun that bounced off Consecos head into the seats is my favorite.

[Ogre]

Nice catch, but c'mon... in the history of college football? I give you: The Play (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUeyOuS70eI)

Here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Play) are the details... (Go Bears)Nice catch? Nice catch?! I doubt if that catch has ever been made before in the history of football. As for the Play, yes, I know. It was a fine and momentous play, and I fully acknowledge that it belongs in this thread. Fortunately, the thread is not limited to one play per sport.

[mhendo]

The rarest baseball play has to be the unassisted triple play, which has only been done 12 times in MLB history, and only 5 times since 1927.

The last to do it was Rafael Furcal for the Braves against the Cardinals in 2003.Actually, i'm not sure that it is the rarest play.

A few weeks ago, there was a 5-7-3 put-out, probably the first in pro baseball history.

I can't remember the game, but it went like this:

Batter hit a ferocious line drive to third base. The batter thought the ball had been caught and started to walk toward the dugout. But the third baseman had not caught the ball; it had hit his glove, and deflected into the outfield, rolling to the leftfielder. By the time the batter realized his error and began to run to first base, the leftfielder had enough time to throw to first base for the out. 5-7-3.

On ESPN, Tim Kurkjian said that their statisticians were going through the records books, had already gone back to the 1920s, and had so far not been able to find another 5-7-3 put-out.I saw Brady Anderson get hit by a pitch twice in the same inning. The first one was by Mike Morgan, who, IIRC, hit 3 batters that inning before they pulled him. As an Orioles fan, i was going to bring up that statistic. It's not the only time it's happened, though. According to this page (http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/A/Anderson_Brady.stm), it's happened on two other occasions, in 1959 and 1962.

[Malacandra]

Actually, I believe a double hat-trick is four wickets in four balls (cite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hat_trick).) No idea how often it's ever been achieved though.

It turns out that you're quite right. It's proving hard to track down instances on Google, and even the online Guinness Book of Records is no help. Four in four has been done very occasionally, but never at Test level.

[mhendo]

Another one i forgot. Not exactly a play, but a result.

The Tied Test in cricket.

It's only happened twice in the history of the sport, between Australia and the West Indies in 1960, and between Australia and India in 1986.

For those unfamiliar with cricket or its terminology, i should note that a tie and a draw are not the same thing. You can read about the difference here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tied_test). A draw is actually quite a common result.

[Malacandra]

It turns out that you're quite right. It's proving hard to track down instances on Google, and even the online Guinness Book of Records is no help. Four in four has been done very occasionally, but never at Test level.

Minor bump just to say that I have discovered that Pat Pocock, for Surrey versus Sussex in 1972, took four wickets in four balls; a fifth wicket with the sixth; a sixth wicket with the ninth; and a seventh wicket with the eleventh. The last two - six in nine balls and seven in eleven balls - are both records.

[borschevsky]

How about in football, a punt on first down? It happened yesterday.

Link (http://tsn.ca/cfl/news_story/?ID=178741)

[aktep]

How about in football, a punt on first down? It happened yesterday.




Not a bad strategy in CFL, since you can earn the single.

IIRC, Texas and TCU played a game in 1944 is such a bad rainstorm that the teams were punting on first down in the hopes of forcing the other team to fumble deep in its own territory.

[OldGuy]

I once saw a guy make three errors on one play. This would have been at the old Busch Stadium in St. Louis, early 1990's.

The opposing batter hits a Texas-league pop up toward third base. He starts casually walking toward first base, knowing he's going to be out. The Cards' third baseman (I believe it was Todd Zelie) camps under the ball and waits for it... and it falls into and out of his glove. Error #1.

Seeing that the ball is in play, the runner makes a mad dash toward first base. Zeile hurls it toward first base.... and into the dugout. Error #2.

The Cards' first-baseman fishes the ball out of the dugout. By this time the runner is appropaching third base, so he hurls the ball toward Zeile at third base. Zeile dropped the ball. Error #3.

By this time the Cards fans didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

YOu must not be remembering exactly what happened. If the ball actually went into the dugout it would be dead and play would stop.

[Freddy the Pig]

I once saw a guy make three errors on one play. This would have been at the old Busch Stadium in St. Louis, early 1990's.

Impressive, but not a record: third baseman Mike Grady of the 1895 New York Giants* made four on one play. The situation was similar to what you described (Grady bobbled a grounder, overthrew first, and then dropped the throw as the runner went for third. When the runner ran home, Grady tossed the ball away.

*Grady didn't play for the Giants until 1899, though, so either the date or the team is wrong.I've been reading about Grady's four-error fiasco in baseball trivia books since I was a child, but I'm skeptical that it took place. Nobody ever cites such elementary facts as the date, opponent, or opposing batter--and as you note, many sources give a year (1895) in which Grady neither played for the Giants nor played third base.

I suspect this was something somebody embellished, or remembered incorrectly, years after the fact.

As with HeyHomie--perusal of Retrosheet reveals that neither Todd Zeile nor any other St. Louis third baseman has made three errors on a single play at any time in the late 1980's or early 1990's.

Three errors on one play is extremely rare. The only well documented case I can find via Googling is Tommy John, pitching, for New York versus Milwaukee on July 27, 1988.

[DragonAsh]

I saw Dorsett score a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings on a 99-yrd run on a Monday Night Football game back in the early 80s. There are longer touchdowns (fumble recoveries or interceptions from behind your own goalline are 100-plus yards), but that's a record that won't be broken for regular offensive plays.

[Moonchild]

Nice catch? Nice catch?! I doubt if that catch has ever been made before in the history of football. As for the Play, yes, I know. It was a fine and momentous play, and I fully acknowledge that it belongs in this thread. Fortunately, the thread is not limited to one play per sport.

Yeah, that catch has been made before. It was on a Monday Night Football game during the NFL strike (1983?). IIRC, it was a NY Giants replacement wideout who caught it, but unlike your highlight -- which is pretty damn amazing in its own right -- the receiver had both of arms under the defender's armpits and caught it off his back. For a touchdown. I have it on video around here someplace. I'll re-post if I find it and can put it on UTube.

Most amazing play I've ever seen is Bo Jackson throwing out Harold Reynolds at home from the warning track. Reynolds on second, batter lines a double into the left field corner, Jackson picks it up, turns and throws a strike... from 340 feet away on the fly... to nail Reynolds by a step.

[RealityChuck]

Anyone watching the Mets/Dodgers game today (10/4) saw another one of the rarest plays in sports: the catcher making two putouts on a double play. This is the 7th time it's happened in MLB history -- rarer than an unassisted triple play. (Of course, it does require some boneheaded baserunning, which isn't necessary for a UTP).

For those who didn't see it, J.D. Drew was on first and Jeff Kent was on second. Russell Martin hit a double to right. Kent hesitated then ran for home, wheras Drew was running as soon as the ball was hit. The third base coach sent Kent home, challenging the Mets to make a good throw. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, they did.

However, Drew evidently thought the coach's sign to Kent meant him, too, and charged home. Paul LoDuca had his back to the runner, but turned in time to get Drew.

A list of all the other times this has happened is here: http://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/doubletag2.htm This was the first time it happened in the postseason. Oddly, the Mets were one of the teams that got caught in one, and, even odder, one of the players tagged out on the play is their current manager, Willie Randolph.

[Suburban Plankton]

Most amazing play I've ever seen is Bo Jackson throwing out Harold Reynolds at home from the warning track. Reynolds on second, batter lines a double into the left field corner, Jackson picks it up, turns and throws a strike... from 340 feet away on the fly... to nail Reynolds by a step.
Thank you for posting this. I remember seeing this play, but no one else I know does. I couldn't recall the exact details, so I was beginning to wonder if I imagined the whole thing.

[John DiFool]

Thank you for posting this. I remember seeing this play, but no one else I know does. I couldn't recall the exact details, so I was beginning to wonder if I imagined the whole thing.

You didn't-I recall the same play too.

[whole bean]

What exactly is field goal tending? (Assuming you mean American football.)
blocking a field goal at or just before it crosses the cross bar. In the NFL it's a 15 yard penalty and automatic first down for unsportsmanlike conduct. I don't know if it is prohibitted by the NCAA. Kenny Irons (http://auburntigers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/062805aaa.html) doesn't seem to think so. Compelling interview.

[aktep]

blocking a field goal at or just before it crosses the cross bar. In the NFL it's a 15 yard penalty and automatic first down for unsportsmanlike conduct. I don't know if it is prohibitted by the NCAA. Kenny Irons (http://auburntigers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/062805aaa.html) doesn't seem to think so. Compelling interview.


As discussed further upthread, it's only OK if he catches it. If not, it's illegal batting, which could be enforced as a safety.

[Wee Bairn]

Bo was awesome- he is one of only two NFL players (with Ahman Green of all people) to have two runs of at least 90 yards. Bo also had an 88 yard run.