The Red Sox just turned a triple play!

[Fear Itself]

How often does that happen?

Tampa Bay had men on first and second, no outs. Batter hits a bouncer down the third base line, third baseman Jed Lowry scoops it up, stepped on third, threw it to Pedroia on second, who relayed it to first.

Just heard the Red Sox haven't had one since 1994.

[John DiFool]

And the one in 1994 was completely unassisted, by John Valentin.

[Drain Bead]

The unassisted triple play is my favorite thing in all of sports, bar none.

[Lamar Mundane]

Originally Posted by Fear Itself

How often does that happen?

Tampa Bay had men on first and second, no outs. Batter hits a bouncer down the third base line, third baseman Jed Lowry scoops it up, stepped on third, threw it to Pedroia on second, who relayed it to first.

Just heard the Red Sox haven't had one since 1994.

They're rare, but there are usually a couple of them a year, sometimes four or five. The 5-4-3 triple play that you described is probably the most common type of them.

I wasn't at the game, but I saw Troy Tulowitski's unassisted triple play live on TV a few years ago.

[CJJ*]

Originally Posted by Fear Itself

How often does that happen?.

Not often, although the Brewers turned a pretty 4-6-3-2 TP just last night.

[Zakalwe]

Originally Posted by CJJ*

Not often, although the Brewers turned a pretty 4-6-3-2 TP just last night.

Sorry, it was well executed, but any TP that depends on the runner being an idiot can't be "pretty". I've long thought that the scorer should be able to charge an 'E' for bad base-running...

[JMLVT68]

I was at a Sox game at Fenway in the late 80's when the Sox hit in to not one, but TWO triple plays in the same game.

Hold on...

Here it is...

"Playing against the Boston Red Sox on July 17, 1990, the Minnesota Twins became the first (and to date the only) team in baseball history to turn two triple plays in the same game. Despite their defensive heroics, the Twins lost the game 1–0"

Late 80's, 1990, whatever. I was there with my cousin, and the first time when the Sox had two men on and no outs, my cousin said, "Watch this, double-play." (Remember, this was still not that long after the debacle of the 1986 World Series. Fatalism ran high in Red Sox Nation.) I muttered some response, and then it happened. We were stunned, but after the second one, it was almost funny. Almost.

[Dread Pirate Jimbo]

Originally Posted by JMLVT68

I was at a Sox game at Fenway in the late 80's when the Sox hit in to not one, but TWO triple plays in the same game.

Hold on...

Here it is...

"Playing against the Boston Red Sox on July 17, 1990, the Minnesota Twins became the first (and to date the only) team in baseball history to turn two triple plays in the same game. Despite their defensive heroics, the Twins lost the game 1–0"

Late 80's, 1990, whatever. I was there with my cousin, and the first time when the Sox had two men on and no outs, my cousin said, "Watch this, double-play." (Remember, this was still not that long after the debacle of the 1986 World Series. Fatalism ran high in Red Sox Nation.) I muttered some response, and then it happened. We were stunned, but after the second one, it was almost funny. Almost.

I recall reading an anecdote from that game from Twins' third baseman Gary Gaetti, who apparently called his shot on one of them, muttering to the Sox' third base coach that if the ball was hit to him, he was going 5-4-3 for the triple play. Gaetti was such a stud -- loved that guy!

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

Originally Posted by Dread Pirate Jimbo

Gary Gaetti was such a stud -- loved that guy!

Half-guy, half-Yeti, actually.

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by John DiFool

And the one in 1994 was completely unassisted, by John Valentin.

I was at that game. Looking the other way when it happened.

[That Don Guy]

Originally Posted by Lamar Mundane

They're rare, but there are usually a couple of them a year, sometimes four or five. The 5-4-3 triple play that you described is probably the most common type of them.

I am under the impression that "around the horn" triple plays are somewhat rare. The "usual" triple play involves a line drive that is caught and then they get two runners out before they could return to their bases (usually because the fielder who caught the ball was close enough to one of those bases to step on it and then throw).

I remember a high school game years ago that had a strange triple play that started with a dropped third strike (although the "dropped third strike" rule didn't apply as the runners were on first and second with (obviously, if there was a triple play) nobody out).

[Mince]

Originally Posted by Drain Bead

The unassisted triple play is my favorite thing in all of sports, bar none.

I prefer the flawless fielding execution of Tuesday night's triple play. The unassisted triple play is always "assisted" by at least one huge baserunning gaffe.

[Mince]

Originally Posted by That Don Guy

I am under the impression that "around the horn" triple plays are somewhat rare.

I agree. It seems the "common" type of triple play involves a gross baserunning error on the batting team's part. I would research it a bit, but I don't think any appreciable search would yield much fruit in the way of statistics for triple plays.

[Lamar Mundane]

Originally Posted by Mince

I agree. It seems the "common" type of triple play involves a gross baserunning error on the batting team's part. I would research it a bit, but I don't think any appreciable search would yield much fruit in the way of statistics for triple plays.

Here you go.

I just went back a couple of decades or so, and it does seem that the 5-4-3 is the most common of all the combinations.

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

Originally Posted by Mince

I agree. It seems the "common" type of triple play involves a gross baserunning error on the batting team's part. I would research it a bit, but I don't think any appreciable search would yield much fruit in the way of statistics for triple plays.

If you've got men on first and second, no outs, and you order a hit and run, then a line drive to an infielder results in an unassisted triple play with zero baserunning gaffes. That's a pretty common unassisted triple play, where a middle infielder stabs the line drive, tags the runner on first steaming into second, and steps on the bag for the third out.

[Dread Pirate Jimbo]

Originally Posted by Mince

I prefer the flawless fielding execution of Tuesday night's triple play. The unassisted triple play is always "assisted" by at least one huge baserunning gaffe.

Not necessarily -- if the runners were sent on a hit-and-run, they were meant to be in motion when the ball was put in play, in which case it wasn't so much a baserunning error as bad timing on being caught dead to rights on a line drive right at someone. You might actually call that situation a batting error, as the hitter's job in a hit-and-run is to put the ball on the ground, preferably to the opposite field. We played against a team in our league for years that were absolute masters of this play, with every player on the team capable of slapping a ground ball the other way whenever the coach called for it (usually a 2-1 count). Frequently we knew it was coming and still couldn't stop them. I have since spent a lot of time working with my team to get this play down pat 'cuz it can be extremely effective when done right, but it can blow up in your face when done wrong. But I digress...

[Mince]

Originally Posted by Lamar Mundane

Here you go.

I just went back a couple of decades or so, and it does seem that the 5-4-3 is the most common of all the combinations.

I guess they have everything on the internet. Thanks. 5-4-3 is the most common combination, but---and it's impossible to determine from just the scoring---there are more non-5-4-3 combinations (of all types) and I presume most of those involved some kind of baserunning goof. And that's what I'm doing really, comparing the clean, 5-4-3 variety like Tuesday's triple play to the ones assisted by the opposing team's baserunning, making a triple play possible when it otherwise would not have been. I believe that the majority of triple plays happen due to the latter, but there seems to be no way to research that easily.

[Mince]

Originally Posted by pseudotriton ruber ruber

If you've got men on first and second, no outs, and you order a hit and run, then a line drive to an infielder results in an unassisted triple play with zero baserunning gaffes. That's a pretty common unassisted triple play, where a middle infielder stabs the line drive, tags the runner on first steaming into second, and steps on the bag for the third out.

Is the hit-and-run variety the most common? I didn't know. I'm just using my perception as a guide and it seems most of the triple plays I've witnessed, unassisted or otherwise, involved bad baserunning. How can you really know? I'd like to see some kind of triple play compendium where they describe each play and give a bit of commentary.

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Mince

Is it common? I didn't know. I'm just using my perception as a guide and it seems most of the triple plays I've witnessed, unassisted or otherwise, involved bad baserunning.

Well, the unassisted triple play is among the rarest of baseball feats (rarer than a perfect game), but when it happens, it's almost always: caught line drive, touched second, tagged runner. Cite. As far as I know, this usually (if not exclusively) occurs because of a hit-and-run play.

If you're talking triple plays in Little League or the local softball league, well, sure, there's probably lots of base running gaffes happening there. But in the MLB, the triple play, as far as I've usually seen it, the triple play isn't usually bad base running errors.

[samclem]

Originally Posted by Mince

I prefer the flawless fielding execution of Tuesday night's triple play. The unassisted triple play is always "assisted" by at least one huge baserunning gaffe.

Originally Posted by pseudotriton ruber ruber

If you've got men on first and second, no outs, and you order a hit and run, then a line drive to an infielder results in an unassisted triple play with zero baserunning gaffes. That's a pretty common unassisted triple play, where a middle infielder stabs the line drive, tags the runner on first steaming into second, and steps on the bag for the third out.

Originally Posted by Mince

Is the hit-and-run variety the most common? I didn't know. I'm just using my perception as a guide and it seems most of the triple plays I've witnessed, unassisted or otherwise, involved bad baserunning. How can you really know? I'd like to see some kind of triple play compendium where they describe each play and give a bit of commentary.

There have been 684 triple plays since 1876. Only 15 of them were unassisted triple plays.

Seven of them have happened since 1992. Seven of them happened between 1909 and 1927.

You can read about and diagnose each one here

_{Why, yes, I contribute to that site. Why do you ask?}

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

Originally Posted by pulykamell

Well, the unassisted triple play is among the rarest of baseball feats (rarer than a perfect game), but when it happens, it's almost always: caught line drive, touched second, tagged runner. Cite. As far as I know, this usually (if not exclusively) occurs because of a hit-and-run play.

I'm mostly working off logic here. A hit-and-run play with first and second and none out is a pretty common use of the play, which is partly aimed at avoiding a double-play on a ground ball, but combined with a lineout to a middle infielder will result in a TP.

On the major league level, it's almost hard to see how a line-drive to a middle infielder (not exactly a wild-and-wooly scenario) wouldn't result in an unassisted TP. If everyone does what he's supposed to do, and a linedrive happens, that's your likeliest outcome.

[samclem]

Originally Posted by pulykamell

Well, the unassisted triple play is among the rarest of baseball feats (rarer than a perfect game)....

Not true.

20 perfect games, 15 unassisted triple plays.

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

How does that qualify as not rarer? Isn't 15 fewer than 20?

[samclem]

Originally Posted by pseudotriton ruber ruber

How does that qualify as not rarer? Isn't 15 fewer than 20?

I'm an idiot.

"Ray. The restaurant's on fire. I'll get back to you."

[Intelligently Designed]

As an aside, you might enjoy watching this triple play which occurred in Triple-A ball yesterday.

[pulykamell]

That was the craziest triple play I've ever seen. Awesome.