# Rarest plays in sports? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2006, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963 "2006-09-08T19:39:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/101 "2006-09-13T18:42:49Z")
[QUOTE=robardin] 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 🙂 [/QUOTE] 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 ---
**Author:** ![beergeek279](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@beergeek279](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beergeek279)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/102 "2006-09-13T21:12:34Z")
[QUOTE=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. [/QUOTE] Well, what if you could theoretically catch it? It seems impossible, but in conjunction with a rugby lineout-style lift, it could be done. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/103 "2006-09-13T21:20:23Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/104 "2006-09-13T22:30:18Z")
[QUOTE=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. [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/105 "2006-09-13T22:44:37Z")
[QUOTE=SCSimmons] 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. [/QUOTE] 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? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/106 "2006-09-13T23:34:31Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/107 "2006-09-13T23:37:48Z")
[QUOTE=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? [/QUOTE] > [@me](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/108 "2006-09-13T23:38:25Z")
damn it ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/109 "2006-09-14T01:54:40Z")
[QUOTE=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? [/QUOTE] 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: ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/110 "2006-09-14T03:36:12Z")
[QUOTE=SCSimmons] 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. [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/111 "2006-09-14T04:38:52Z")
In curling, it’s the [8-ender](http://www.pathcom.com/~curling/8ender.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Trillionaire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Trillionaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trillionaire)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/112 "2006-09-15T18:47:08Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] 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. [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![jrepka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee59a6/32.png) [@jrepka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrepka)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2006, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/113 "2006-09-16T00:23:13Z")
[QUOTE=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. ☹ [/QUOTE] 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) ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/114 "2006-09-16T18:12:57Z")
[QUOTE=fiddlesticks] 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. [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/115 "2006-09-16T18:30:13Z")
Homrun that bounced off Consecos head into the seats is my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/116 "2006-09-16T18:34:57Z")
[QUOTE=jrepka] 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) [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/117 "2006-09-16T21:20:36Z")
[QUOTE=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. [/QUOTE] 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. [QUOTE=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. [/quote] 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. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/118 "2006-09-16T21:23:08Z")
[QUOTE=Trillionaire] 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. [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/119 "2006-09-16T21:23:56Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963/120 "2006-09-25T09:37:56Z")
[QUOTE=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. [/QUOTE] 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. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rarest-plays-in-sports/371963.md?page=7)