# The greatest play in baseball **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 23, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436 "2009-08-23T23:43:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/1 "2009-08-23T23:43:04Z")
[http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jfBP5Vq04geCsv5KyU-lpCsGHG1QD9A8RFS80](http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jfBP5Vq04geCsv5KyU-lpCsGHG1QD9A8RFS80) It’s hard to beat this – the rarest of plays, an unassisted triple play, in a rally-crusher and game-decider. God I love this game. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/2 "2009-08-23T23:50:09Z")
Any video of it online yet? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/3 "2009-08-24T00:23:55Z")
What a treat for the fans as the game also featured an inside the park home run. I think it was in a previous baseball thread, someone mentioned that the best part of a triple play(unassisted in particular) is that one second the batter belts one and a few seconds later everyone is standing there ;" WTF just happened?"😃 ---
**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:** [August 24, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/4 "2009-08-24T00:59:24Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > What a treat for the fans as the game also featured an inside the park home run. > > I think it was in a previous baseball thread, someone mentioned that the best part of a triple play(unassisted in particular) is that one second the batter belts one and a few seconds later everyone is standing there ;" WTF just happened?"😃 I don’t know if that’s referencing me necessarily (though I’ve mentioned this story before on the Dope), but I was at Fenway on July 8, 1994, where John Valentin turned an unassisted triple play. My first (and only) game at Fenway. I was looking off the field when it happened, and the fans in front of me, when I asked what just happened, looked at me incredulously and said “tell me you didn’t miss that!” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/5 "2009-08-24T01:18:10Z")
**pulykamell** , next time, don’t look away. 😃 I don’t think it was you, the poster was making a comment about TPs in general. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/6 "2009-08-24T01:22:13Z")
It happened fifteen years ago, and you have the ticket. By now you should have convinced yourself you did see it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/7 "2009-08-24T01:31:20Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Any video of it online yet? It’s on [MLB.com](http://MLB.com). Always a treat to see such a rare play, and it’s happened three seasons in a row now. Only 15 have ever been turned in the big leagues, and this was only the second time it ended a game. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/8 "2009-08-24T01:42:17Z")
They are more serendipitous than great in my opinion. Really, how many potential triple plays have you seen botched? MLB players in the right situation will make that play 9 times out of 10. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/9 "2009-08-24T01:45:02Z")
Odd that there was a 41 year gap between number seven and number eight, but there have been three in the last three years, and five in the last nine years. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/10 "2009-08-24T01:53:51Z")
If the runner from first had been called out for breaking the basepath(as he clearly should have been), would it have counted as an unassisted triple play? ---
**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:** [August 24, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/11 "2009-08-24T02:12:19Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > It happened fifteen years ago, and you have the ticket. By now you should have convinced yourself you did see it. In actuality, it sort of makes it a better story that I didn’t. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. 🙂 (And I no longer have my ticket stub. I can’t remember whether I kept it or not–I’m not good about that sort of stuff–but if I did, it would have been lost in a basement flood we had about ten years ago.) ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/12 "2009-08-24T02:17:32Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t know if that’s referencing me necessarily (though I’ve mentioned this story before on the Dope), but I was at Fenway on July 8, 1994, where John Valentin turned an unassisted triple play. My first (and only) game at Fenway. I was looking off the field when it happened, and the fans in front of me, when I asked what just happened, looked at me incredulously and said “tell me you didn’t miss that!” :smack: Don’t feel bad, I have a hole in three. Hit my first shot in a lake, re-teed and put it in the hole. My once in a lifetime moment happened on a penalty shot. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/13 "2009-08-24T02:19:10Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Don’t feel bad, I have a hole in three. Hit my first shot in a lake, re-teed and put it in the hole. My once in a lifetime moment happened on a penalty shot. I’m not a golfer, but that’s pretty awesome. See? Doesn’t it make it a better story that way? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/14 "2009-08-24T02:26:57Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > If the runner from first had been called out for breaking the basepath(as he clearly should have been), would it have counted as an unassisted triple play? Yes. The putout must be awarded to someone; if a runner is called out for leaving the baseline as per Rule 7.08, it is awarded to the fielder who the runner is attempting to avoid, according to Rule 10.09(c)(3). So Bruntlett would still have all three putouts. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/15 "2009-08-24T15:16:36Z")
Per ESPN, the only other MLB unassisted triple play to end a game occurred in the '20’s in an American League game. They mentioned that it was completed by a 1st baseman. Can anyone tell me how the 1st baseman could have competed it without an assist? I always assumed that only a 2nd or 3rd baseman or shortstop would be able to complete one, and maybe the pitcher in a very unlikely scenario. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/16 "2009-08-24T15:24:55Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Per ESPN, the only other MLB unassisted triple play to end a game occurred in the '20’s in an American League game. They mentioned that it was completed by a 1st baseman. Can anyone tell me how the 1st baseman could have competed it without an assist? I always assumed that only a 2nd or 3rd baseman or shortstop would be able to complete one, and maybe the pitcher in a very unlikely scenario. Best guess, he snared a line drive, stepped on first and ran to second to get the third out. Maybe the shortstop and 2nd baseman were out of position (or he really wanted to do it all himself :D). ---
**Author:** ![Heller\_Highwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@Heller\_Highwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heller_Highwater)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/17 "2009-08-24T15:28:05Z")
As I understood it, the first baseman cought the ball (out 1), stepped on first (out 2), then beat the baserunner back to second base (out 3). I don’t remember if they said he tagged the runner or stepped on the base for the third out. That or maybe he caught the ball, tagged the runner on his way back to first, then beat the other runner to second. I can’t remember for sure. Actually, the more I think about, the more I seem to remember the latter case as being what they described on ESPN. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/18 "2009-08-24T15:35:24Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Best guess, he snared a line drive, stepped on first and ran to second to get the third out… That last run is pretty long. I’d have to guess that he knew the situation and took it upon himself to run the entire 90 feet instead of flipping it to another infielder. There’s is no way that they could have been that far out of position. To me, that one might need to get asterisked. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/19 "2009-08-24T15:49:22Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > That last run is pretty long. I’d have to guess that he knew the situation and took it upon himself to run the entire 90 feet instead of flipping it to another infielder. There’s is no way that they could have been that far out of position. To me, that one might need to get asterisked. There have been two UTP’s by first basemen, and yes, I think we can safely assume there was an element of showboating in each. By the same token, I once saw a play where the pitcher caught a line drive with two runners in motion, and could easily have completed a UTP, but he decided not to showboat and tossed the ball to second base. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436/20 "2009-08-24T15:55:59Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > There have been two UTP’s by first basemen, and yes, I think we can safely assume there was an element of showboating in each. By the same token, I once saw a play where the pitcher caught a line drive with two runners in motion, and could easily have completed a UTP, but he decided not to showboat and tossed the ball to second base. As I research it a bit more, I’m even more convinced. There was a UTP the previous day in another game, so he was probably even more conscious of it. > **[Unassisted triple play](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unassisted_triple_play)** > > In baseball, an unassisted triple play occurs when a defensive player makes all three outs by himself in one continuous play, without his teammates making any assists. Neal Ball was the first to achieve this in Major League Baseball (MLB) under modern rules, doing so on July 19, 1909. For this rare play to be possible there must be no outs in the inning and at least two runners on base, normally with the runners going on the pitch (e.g., double steal or hit-and-run). An unassisted triple play In... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-play-in-baseball/507436.md?page=2)