# The Red Sox just turned a triple play! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 17, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-red-sox-just-turned-a-triple-play/592974 "2011-08-17T00:26:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-red-sox-just-turned-a-triple-play/592974/21 "2011-08-19T22:21:07Z")
> [@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](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unassisted_triple_play). 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. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-red-sox-just-turned-a-triple-play/592974/22 "2011-08-19T23:42:02Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-red-sox-just-turned-a-triple-play/592974/23 "2011-08-19T23:50:01Z")
How does that qualify as not rarer? Isn’t 15 fewer than 20? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-red-sox-just-turned-a-triple-play/592974/24 "2011-08-19T23:58:55Z")
> [@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.” ---
**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-red-sox-just-turned-a-triple-play/592974/25 "2011-08-22T21:17:42Z")
As an aside, you might enjoy watching [this triple play](http://www.thescore.com/buzz/articles/161467-crazy-triple-a-triple-play) which occurred in Triple-A ball yesterday. ---
**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 22, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-red-sox-just-turned-a-triple-play/592974/26 "2011-08-22T21:28:51Z")
That was the craziest triple play I’ve ever seen. Awesome. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-red-sox-just-turned-a-triple-play/592974.md?page=1)