The Orioles had two men on base and nobody out in the top of the 8th. The Yankees were leading 5-2, but the O’s had the tying run at bat and the count went to 3-and-2. And then something happened that had never happened in the entire history of Major League Baseball:
Triple plays of any kind are rare: The Yankees hadn’t turned one at home since 1968, and the O’s hadn’t hit into a triple play since 1996, but this particular sequence for a triple play had never occurred, period. ViralRead sports editor Jeff Gurner on the historic play:
By the way, if you were keeping score at home, you can mark that gem as a 4-6-5-6-5-3-4 in your books.
Damn Yankees!
I remember reading about a play back when Pete Rose was playing center field for the Cincinnati Reds, and a possible home-run ball was hit to left field. The left fielder went up to catch the ball at the fence, managed to get a glove on it but not catch it, and knocked it back towards the field. Rose had wandered over anyways, and happened to be right where the ball had been knocked to, so it went in the books as a fly-out, 7-8. If it wasn’t a unique play, it certainly isn’t a common one.
It looked like the shortstop never touched 2d base.
Satan, Shmatan… we bow at the altar of Darth Boss George!
They never do.