Triple Plays

September 7, 2017 6:56 PM

A visualization of every triple play in major league history. If you prefer spreadsheets, here's the database from SABR of all 715 plays. Triple plays previously on MetaFilter.
posted by escabeche (21 comments total)

One of the "fun facts" is that there have been 15 unassisted triple plays, which I puzzled over for a moment, and decided it must be 2nd base or short grabbing a line drive, stepping on second, then tagging the runner advancing from 1st. The list made it easy to find one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DviV7CYrc-E/
posted by borkencode at 7:31 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]

yup, that was fun. I'm actually kinda surprised that there are more 6-6-6 triple plays than 4-4-4 triple plays. Also very surprised there were two 3-3-3 triple plays and not at all sure how that happens, but going to the spreadsheet both of them happened in the 1920s (and both of them came against the Indians!) so I guess some video is a little much to hope for.
posted by midmarch snowman at 7:35 PM on September 7, 2017

haha, of course the first two comments are about unassisted triple plays. the spreadsheet is amazing also for giving one the opportunity to go searching for batters hitting into multiple triple plays in a career. Found three that hit into three triple plays... I wonder if someone has been involved in 5 or 6 triple plays? Also its interesting how many batters I recognize... probably triple plays are most likely going to befall someone in the meat of the line-up, someone in the 3,4 or 5 spot who is more likely going to have two on an no one out.
posted by midmarch snowman at 7:42 PM on September 7, 2017

Also, if I can ever choose my phone number I'm going to ask for 436-2435... an awesome triple play pulled off by the entire 1927 St. Louis Cardinal infield.
posted by midmarch snowman at 7:47 PM on September 7, 2017 [7 favorites]

borkencode: "One of the "fun facts" is that there have been 15 unassisted triple plays, which I puzzled over for a moment, and decided it must be 2nd base or short grabbing a line drive, stepping on second, then tagging the runner advancing from 1st.

Usually, yeah, but there have been two unassisteds completed by first basemen, in which case: catch line drive, step on first, sprint to second.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:56 PM on September 7, 2017

6-2-5-1-5-4-5-6-5-7. Wow. No clue how that must have played out.
posted by N-stoff at 8:58 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]

I would watch a video of all 700+ of these recreated in Mario Baseball. Or, better, NES Baseball Stars.
posted by notyou at 9:13 PM on September 7, 2017 [4 favorites]

So... has there ever been a quadruple play? Would that even be possible?
posted by clawsoon at 2:44 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

probably triple plays are most likely going to befall someone in the meat of the line-up

This. Also, from the sort of team where the two people in front of them can get on base.
posted by madcaptenor at 4:52 AM on September 8, 2017

6-2-5-1-5-4-5-6-5-7. Wow. No clue how that must have played out.

It says it, right there on the tin

(I'm guessing, line drive, throw runner out trying to score, then get the other runner in a game of pickle, though there could have been an overthrow)
posted by DigDoug at 5:03 AM on September 8, 2017

6-2-5-1-5-4-5-6-5-7. Wow. No clue how that must have played out.

I googled a bit more and found the SABR triple play database, which is presumably the source for this whole visualization. This particular triple play happened on May 16, 1915, in the seventh inning of a game between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Cleveland Naps. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find more details than that.

Also, apparently there have been 10 triple plays in the history of MLB in which a run scored, most recently a couple of months ago.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:48 AM on September 8, 2017

> The list made it easy to find one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DviV7CYrc-E/

And of course that was against the Mets, ending the game. However, looking at the list I see the Mets have pulled off a fair number themselves, including one in their very first, legendarily awful (Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?) year: Elio Chacon ss, Charlie Neal 2b, Gil Hodges 1b. Let's go Mets!
posted by languagehat at 7:57 AM on September 8, 2017

I've only ever seen one triple play in RL at an MLB game, Cubs vs Pirates June 2, 1983. Rick Rhodes hit a liner to Ron Cey, and it went around the horn to Sandberg and Buckner. It shocking how suddenly it seems to happen in person, when you aren't expecting it.
posted by pjern at 8:15 AM on September 8, 2017 [2 favorites]

clawsoon: "So... has there ever been a quadruple play? Would that even be possible?"

It *could* happen, although it hasn't. There is such a thing as a fourth out, so if you had a triple play and then recorded a fourth out, that would notionally be a quadruple play.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:34 AM on September 8, 2017 [3 favorites]

(I'm guessing, line drive, throw runner out trying to score, then get the other runner in a game of pickle, though there could have been an overthrow)

Nope, as the first out didn't happen till the 5th play in the sequence. Rundown for a runner on 3rd going home, tag the runner from 2nd between bases then the batter out at 3rd on an overthrow after trying to get him out at 2nd when he caught up to the runner in front of him? There were both a runner and the batter stuck between 2nd and 3rd base or something.

It almost like the fielding team forgot they had to get a 3rd out and started to leave the field.
posted by N-stoff at 9:20 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

Baseball: It shocking how suddenly it seems to happen in person, when you aren't expecting it.
posted by notyou at 9:25 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

It almost like the fielding team forgot they had to get a 3rd out and started to leave the field.

Does an error get reflected in the data? Does an error still happen if you get everyone out?

Also, the final out being by the left fielder is the reason I thought maybe an overthrow, but a long rundown could do that too.
posted by DigDoug at 9:29 AM on September 8, 2017

Another interesting tidbit, only 36 of the 714 of them didn't have a man on first. The ball-changing hands 10 times is one of them.

Another interesting thing.. there's no #83 in the spreadsheet. There's a triple play between 1890-05-29 and 1890-06-15 missing from the dataset.
posted by DigDoug at 9:41 AM on September 8, 2017

This spreadsheet is awesome. There goes my productivity.

My favourite team, the Toronto Blue Jays, have had four triple plays in their history, and three of them were in the 1970s. But really they should have had five.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 10:07 AM on September 8, 2017

"So... has there ever been a quadruple play? Would that even be possible?"

Let me see if I can make this work:

Bases loaded and no outs, and then a triple play where a liner to second baseman or ss is caught for out number one, he tags second base for a forceout for out two, and the runner from 1st dances around a bit before he's tagged or forced out. Meanwhile the runner on third has crossed home. But he left the bag early/didn't tag up properly. If the fielding team then tagged 3rd base, the run would be negated and that would be the fourth out.

For scorekeeping purposes I think one of the outs wouldn't go down on the scorecard, but there would be 4 out calls from the umps on one play.
posted by thecjm at 12:35 PM on September 8, 2017 [5 favorites]

Also, if I can ever choose my phone number I'm going to ask for 436-2435...

I'd go for 362-5147 - seven different players, each touching the ball once (8/29/1969).

And somehow the left fielder got the last out.
posted by AbnerRavenwood at 7:13 PM on September 9, 2017