In the Red Sox Indians game last night there was an usual double play 6-5-6, 6-4 so the Indians’ shortstop Cabrerra had three fielding chances on a double play. That started me wondering on what the records are.
Recall that a fielder can only receive one assist for each putout he participates in regardless of the number of times he handles the ball and that a play can have multiple outs, but there can be no intervening errors in the middle of a single play. So the maximum number of assists and chances would be 3 and 6 for an individual and 27 and 30 for a team on a triple play.
Does anyone know what the records for most assists (chances) for a single out and single play are in the major leagues or high minors? (I’m not really interested in your little league experience in which all 12 (because you used extra fielders) handled the ball on one rundown.)
I’m not sure about the record, but the most players involved in a single play that I can recall was in last Saturday’s Giants game. There was a caught stealing play (the runner took off from 2nd, the pitcher threw to 3rd and the runner got caught in a rundown) that went pitcher to third to shortstop to second to third to first to pitcher.
That’s a 1-5-6-4-6-3-1 putout for those of you keeping score at home…
That’s a bit of a strange rundown. The third baseman would have been running him back towards 2nd and it appears there was a relay throw to second through the SS.
I do recall one rundown between third and home which involved the left fielder.
I do too-it was Sarge Matthews (Sr.) at the end of his Cubs days-fielded a slow roller, and the runner got hung up between 3rd and home-Sarge kept pump-faking him into immobility as he charged into the infield, finally got him with the help of IIRC Ron Cey and Shawon Dunston.
The one I remember is a bit stranger. The left fielder ended up covering third at one point. My recollection is something like this. Runners on 1st and second. Ground ball behind second to the shortstop who flips to second for the force. Second baseman starts to throw to first, but realizes it’s too late for a double play. He sees runner rounding third & trying to score and throws to catcher. But riunner stops and is heading towards third. Catcher throws to third baseman who runs him towards home with pitcher now covering. Throws to pitcher who runs him back to third where left fielder tags him out. I believe the left fielder was a utility player who played both infield and outfield so he likely felt at home participating.
Cey was with the Cubs from 1983 to '86, while Dunston made his MLB (and Chicago NL) debut in '85. Matthews was a Cub from '84 to '87, so if the play happened, it was in either '85 or '86.