triple plays analysis - retrosheet · troy tulowitski col ss 4/29/2007 7th atlanta braves asdrubal...

A Look At The Triple Plays

By Chuck Rosciam Using the event files from Retrosheet1 and SABR's (Society for American Baseball Research) triple play files, a database was built containing all of the recorded plays in which three outs were made (1876-2009). In this data set 680 triple plays (TP) were identified. [See table at the end of this article.] An analysis of the data was performed to answer a few basic questions and to write a narrative description for each of the plays. The narratives are presented elsewhere. The following table is a breakdown of the 2,015 players who handled the ball and the 1,391 different players at each position who were involved in the 680 TPs:

Position Players Involved in the Triple Plays

Position Tot DiffPitcher 94 91Catcher 175 1461st Base 551 3292nd Base 433 2903rd Base 268 204Shortstop 419 259Left Field 25 24Center Field 28 28Right Field 22 20

Total 2,015 1,391* [* There were 109 players involved at more than one position - 1,282 different players in all.] There were 157 Players who were involved in fielding three or more TP’s. Donie Bush and Bid McPhee head the list with nine each. Germany Smith, Jake Beckley, John Morrill, and Roger Connor each had 8. Six players helped turn seven of them. 866 were involved in only one TP. Fifteen Unassisted Triple Plays were turned (14 in the regular season and 1 in the World Series), of the 680 triple plays studied, by the following players:

Name Tm Pos Date Inning Against Neal Ball Cle SS 7/19/1909 2nd Boston Red Sox Bill Wambsganss Cle 2B 10/10/1920 5th Brooklyn Dodgers (WS)

George Burns Bos 1B 9/14/1923 2nd Cleveland Indians Ernie Padgett Bsn SS 10/6/1923 4th Philadelphia Phillies Glenn Wright Pit SS 5/7/1925 9th St. Louis Cardinals Jimmy Cooney Chn SS 5/30/1927 4th Pittsburgh Pirates

Johnny Neun Det 1B 5/31/1927 9th Cleveland Indians Ron Hansen Was SS 7/30/1968 1st Cleveland Mickey Morandini Phi 2B 9/20/1992 6th Pittsburgh John Valentine Bos SS 7/8/1994 6th Seattle Randy Velarde Oak 2B 5/29/2000 6th New York Yankees Rafael Furcal Atl SS 8/10/2003 5th St. Louis Troy Tulowitski Col SS 4/29/2007 7th Atlanta Braves Asdrubal Cabrera Cle 2B 5/12/2008 5th Toronto Blue Jays Eric Bruntlett Phi 2B 8/23/2009 9th New York Mets

The following table shows the breakdown by the position that originated the play, the number of putouts and the number of assists by each position. There was an average of 2.07 assists per triple play.

Position Orig POs AsPitcher 74 59 87Catcher 33 163 1081st Base 85 600 2482nd Base 134 451 3593rd Base 136 252 228Shortstop 149 434 302Left Field 21 23 23Center Field 26 29 27Right Field 22 21 21

Total 680 2,040 1,403 There were 579 different pitchers who benefited from the TPs. Mickey Welch benefited the most with five. In second place was Will White with four. Eleven pitchers benefitted three times. The home team turned 364 and the visitors made 316 of the total. When the home team turned their TP’s they were winning 139 times, losing 144 times and tied 84 times. The visitors were ahead 139 times, losing 106 times, and tied 71 times. That meant that the team that turned the triple plays was ahead 41% of the time; were losing 37% of the time and tied 23% of the time. The distribution by inning was:

Inning No. Home Visitor1st 75 34 412nd 88 47 413rd 71 29 424th 85 47 385th 70 36 346th 77 42 357th 77 49 28

8th 70 37 339th 58 36 2210th 2 2 011th 4 2 212th 1 1 014th 2 2 0

Total 680 364 316 There were 33 game-ending triple plays. Thirty-two of them were turned in the 9th inning and one was turned in the 14th. Twenty times the TP started with a strikeout. The other 660 started with a batted ball of the type: (a) Fly Ball 78 times, (b) Ground ball 183 times, (c) Line Drive 339 times, and (d) Pop-ups 55 times. 120 times the line drive put out was immediately followed by a doubling-up second put out by the same fielder. Of the 661 that didn’t start with a strikeout, 534 began with a putout and 127 started with an assist. The St. Louis Cardinals turned the most with thirty-seven. The Pittsburgh Pirates were stung thirty-seven times. The National League pulled off 354 and the American League did it 271 times; the American Association had 41, the Players' League had 7; the Union Association had 1 and the Federal League had 6. There were two inter-league triple plays recorded: (1) the 1887 World Series St. Louis Browns (AA) against the Detroit Wolverines (NL); and (2) the 1920 Cleveland Indians (AL) against the Brooklyn Dodgers (NL). The "modern" clubs (1901-2009) turned 529 TP's (N.L. = 258 and A.L. = 270) the teams that turned these TP's and were stung by a TP were:

Team Turned Stung Arizona Diamondbacks 2 0 Boston Milwaukee Atlanta Braves 23 26 Chicago Colts-Orphans-Cubs 29 29 Cincinnati Reds 24 35 Colorado Rockies 2 3 Florida Marlins 1 4 Houston Colt .45's - Astros 9 7 Brooklyn Los Angeles Dodgers 17 26 Milwaukee Brewers 2 0 New York Mets 9 9 Philadelphia Quakers Phillies 29 29 Pittsburgh Alleghenys Pirates 32 27 San Diego Padres 7 12 New York San Francisco Giants 27 26 St. Louis Browns Cardinals 34 23

Washington Nationals-Mon Expos 11 2

N.L. SUB TOTALS 258 258 Baltimore Orioles-St. Louis Browns 36 33

Boston Red Sox 29 33 Chicago White Sox 30 20 Cleveland Indians-Blues-Naps 30 27 Detroit Tigers 33 26 Kansas City Royals 6 5 Los Angeles-Anaheim-Cal Angels 6 9 Milwaukee Brewers 3 3 Minnesota Twins - Wash Senators 31 32 New York Yankees (Bal Orioles) 24 26 Oakland-Kansas City-Phila Athletics 20 32 Seattle Mariners 9 9 Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2 1 Texas Rangers - Wash Senators 8 8

Toronto Blue Jays 3 6

A.L. SUB TOTALS 270 270 World Series

1920 AL - Cleveland Indians 1 0 1920 NL - Brooklyn Dodgers 0 1

National League 258 258

American League 270 270

GRAND TOTAL 529 529

The Minnesota Twins were the only team to have made two triple plays in the same game, which they accomplished in the 4th and 8th innings on 7/17/1990 against the Boston Red Sox. Ten teams turned three triple plays in the same season, but only the Boston Red Sox did it twice (1924 and 1979). The shortest period of time between turning triple plays (other than the Twins game) was done by the Expos in 1993 who pulled off a pair just six days apart (8/23/1993 and 8/29/1993). The shortest time between being a victim of a triple play belongs to the Angels who were stung just six days apart (5/10/1979 and 5/16/1979). Two triple plays were executed on consecutive days (4/21/1978 and 4/22/1978) by the Astros and then the Blue Jays. The Baltimore Orioles hold the record for turning and then being stung in the shortest period of time (five days apart 8/25/1992 and 8/30/1992). The Houston Astros turned a TP against the Atlanta Braves on their last matchup in 1990 and again on their first pairing in 1991. There were 218 different team match-ups in the 680 triple plays. The Pirates stung the Braves nine times to hold the team vs. team record. Three teams stung the same team eight times (White Sox v. Red sox; Tigers v. Red Sox; and Indians v. Orioles). To flip the coin over, there were 1,117 different batters/runners involved in at least one triple play. Stuffy McInnis was caught (out) six times. Three others were caught/out five times each (Steve Brodie, Cliff Carroll, and Charlie Jameison). Brooks Robinson batted into a triple play four times to lead in that category. George Sisler, Joe Start, and Deacon

McGuire batted into a TP three times each for second place. Overall, 659 batters were putout and 21 were not. Of the 1,473 base runners, 1,381 were retired. The breakdown by runner for each base follows.

Runner On Base Caught1st Base 641 6032nd Base 606 5813rd Base 226 197Total 1,473 1,381

The men-on-base situations came out to be: (a) Bases loaded 121, (b) Men on 1st & 2nd 450 times, (c) Men on 2nd & 3rd were 34, and (d) Men on 1st & 3rd happened 70 times. There were 498 players who were involved in both sides of a triple play (turning and being stung). Bid McPhee leads the pack with 20 (turning 9 and stung 11 - not necessarily put out on base). Donie Bush and Jake Beckley each had 19 turned+stung. The distribution of the 680 TP’s was evenly spread across the months in proportion to the number of games played. The number of TP’s each month were:

Month #April 70May 130June 117July 118August 114September 116October 15

Total 680 The 680 triple plays covered one-hundred-thirty-six seasons. 1890 was the Year of the Triple Play that saw twenty of them turned. There were none in 1961 and in 1974. The number of TP’s each year were:

Year TP's Year TP's Year TP's <1876 1925 7 1975 1

1876 3 1926 9 1976 3 1877 3 1927 9 1977 6 1878 2 1928 2 1978 6 1879 2 1929 11 1979 11 1880 4 1930 7 1980 5 1881 3 1931 8 1981 5 1882 10 1932 3 1982 4 1883 2 1933 2 1983 5

1884 10 1934 5 1984 1 1885 10 1935 5 1985 2 1886 9 1936 9 1986 5 1887 9 1937 4 1987 2 1888 5 1938 2 1988 4 1889 5 1939 4 1989 5 1890 20 1940 3 1990 4 1891 9 1941 1 1991 7 1892 2 1942 3 1992 5 1893 6 1943 1 1993 4 1894 6 1944 9 1994 2 1895 5 1945 1 1995 3 1896 5 1946 5 1996 5 1897 5 1947 5 1997 4 1898 3 1948 7 1998 4 1899 6 1949 7 1999 4 1900 1 1950 5 2000 5 1901 8 1951 4 2001 2 1902 6 1952 3 2002 6 1903 7 1953 5 2003 2 1904 1 1954 5 2004 3 1905 8 1955 7 2005 1 1906 4 1956 2 2006 5 1907 3 1957 4 2007 4 1908 7 1958 4 2008 2 1909 4 1959 2 2009 5 1910 10 1960 2 2010 1911 7 1961 0 1912 3 1962 2 1913 5 1963 3 1914 10 1964 6 1915 9 1965 8 1916 4 1966 6 1917 5 1967 6 1918 4 1968 7 1919 8 1969 6 1920 7 1970 3 1921 10 1971 5 1922 9 1972 6 1923 9 1973 4 1924 11 1974 0 Total 680

There were 236 different types of triple play positions-involved combinations. The most common was the 5-4-3 which happened 74 times. The next most common was the 6-4-3 which occurred 55 times. The third most frequent was the 4-6-3 which happened 43 times. Five times a triple play involve all four infielders (3-4-5-6) and no other fielders. Thirteen times an outfielder caught a fly ball and threw home to peg the runner trying to score (LF 5, CF 5, and RF 3). Only once did a cornerman make a putout and then throw across the diamond for the other cornerman to make another out and back across the diamond for the third out (5-3-5). One game (on 8/29/1969 Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs), saw seven different players handling the ball, which is an all-time record. Another game (5/16/1913 Philadelphia Athletics at Cleveland Indians) saw ten players (6 different guys) handle the ball.

Summary of the 680 Triple Plays

Date Inn Fielding Team Batting Team 1st 2nd 3rd

5/13/1876 5 New York Mutuals Hartford Dark Blues X X X

6/29/1876 6 St. Louis Brown Stockings New York Mutuals X X

9/13/1876 9 Philadelphia Athletics Cincinnati Red Stockings X X

7/14/1877 8 Hartford Dark Blues Chicago White Stockings X X

7/14/1877 7 Boston Red Caps St. Louis Brown Stockings X X

8/1/1877 5 Louisville Grays St. Louis Brown Stockings X X X

5/8/1878 8 Providence Grays Boston Red Caps X X

7/25/1878 8 Boston Red Caps Cincinnati Red Stockings X X

6/10/1879 2 Cleveland Blues Boston Red Caps X X

6/26/1879 6 Boston Red Caps Providence Grays X X

5/7/1880 5 Worchester Worchesters Providence Grays X X

5/20/1880 5 Chicago White Stockings Cleveland Blues X X X

8/5/1880 4 Providence Grays Cleveland Blues X X

9/21/1880 1 Providence Grays Boston Red Caps X X

5/12/1881 6 Providence Grays Cleveland Blues X X X

5/14/1881 1 Buffalo Bisons Providence Grays X X

9/15/1881 6 Buffalo Bisons Worcester Worcesters X X

5/5/1882 3 Troy Trojans Boston Red Caps X X

5/27/1882 8 Philadelphia Athletics St. Louis Cardinals X X X

5/30/1882 6 Buffalo Bisons Boston Red Caps X X X

5/31/1882 7 Troy Trojans Chicago White Stockings X X

6/6/1882 7 Cleveland Blues Troy Trojans X X

6/6/1882 1 Cincinnati Red Stockings Baltimore Orioles X X X

6/9/1882 2 Detroit Wolverines Worcester Worcesters X X

6/22/1882 14 Cincinnati Red Stockings Pittsburgh Pirates X X

7/26/1882 1 St. Louis Cardinals Baltimore Orioles X X X

9/13/1882 8 Cincinnati Red Stockings Louisville Colonels X X

6/2/1883 6 Buffalo Bisons Boston Beaneaters X X

8/11/1883 6 Boston Beaneaters Providence Grays X X

5/23/1884 6 Philadelphia Athletics Pittsburgh Alleghenys X X

6/4/1884 4 Philadelphia Phillies Providence Grays X X

6/7/1884 5 Boston Beaneaters Providence Grays X X

6/7/1884 3 Cincinnati Red Stockings Brooklyn Atlantics X X

6/19/1884 6 Chi/Pit Unions/Browns Kansas City Unions X X X

6/30/1884 1 Detroit Wolverines Boston Beaneaters X X

7/12/1884 9 St. Louis Browns Brooklyn Atlantics X X

7/28/1884 9 Philadelphia Athletics Brooklyn Atlantics X X X

7/31/1884 6 New York Gothams Providence Grays X X X

8/20/1884 4 Brooklyn Atlantics New York Metropolitans X X X

5/13/1885 8 Brooklyn Grays Pittsburgh Alleghenys X X X

5/13/1885 8 Brooklyn Grays Pittsburgh Alleghenys X X X

5/20/1885 3 Cincinnati Red Stockings Baltimore Orioles X X X

6/11/1885 6 New York Giants Providence Grays X X

6/13/1885 11 Baltimore Orioles Pittsburgh Alleghenys X X

6/23/1885 9 Philadelphia Athletics Baltimore Orioles X X

7/9/1885 6 St. Louis Browns Brooklyn Grays X X

8/26/1885 1 New York Giants Providence Grays X X

8/28/1885 8 Pittsburgh Alleghenys Cincinnati Red Stockings X X

9/7/1885 1 New York Giants Philadelphia Phillies X X

4/26/1886 1 Brooklyn Grays New York Metropolitans X X

4/29/1886 4 Brooklyn Grays Baltimore Orioles X X

5/8/1886 4 Pittsburgh Pirates Cincinnati Red Stockings X X

7/12/1886 5 Boston Beaneaters Washington Senators X X


8/10/1886 6 Boston Beaneaters Kansas City Cowboys X X X

8/14/1886 5 Louisville Colonels Baltimore Orioles X X

8/31/1886 1 Brooklyn Grays Baltimore Orioles X X

9/7/1886 2 Washington Senators Detroit Wolverines X X

5/7/1887 7 Philadelphia Athletics Baltimore Orioles X X X

5/21/1887 2 Baltimore Orioles Cincinnati Red Stockings X X X

6/15/1887 9 New York Metropolitans Louisville Colonels X X X

6/21/1887 4 Boston Beaneaters Indianapolis Hoosiers X X

6/30/1887 9 Cleveland Blues Cincinnati Red Stockings X X X


7/9/1887 7 New York Metropolitans Cincinnati Red Stockings X X

8/4/1887 4 Chicago White Stockings Philadelphia Phillies X X

10/21/1887 3 St. Louis Browns Detroit Wolverines X X X

4/24/1888 2 St. Louis Browns Cincinnati Red Stockings X X

6/23/1888 8 Chicago White Stockings Pittsburgh Pirates X X

7/7/1888 9 Kansas City Blues Baltimore Orioles X X

7/11/1888 4 Boston Beaneaters Pittsburgh Pirates X X

9/28/1888 7 Boston Beaneaters Chicago White Stockings X X

6/10/1889 6 Indianapolis Hoosiers Chicago White Stockings X X

6/20/1889 8 Washington Senators Indianapolis Hoosiers X X

6/23/1889 4 Kansas City Blues Cincinnati Red Stockings X X X

6/24/1889 2 Chicago White Stockings New York Giants X X

8/5/1889 2 Cincinnati Red Stockings Baltimore Orioles X X

4/26/1890 4 Boston Beaneaters New York Giants X X

4/30/1890 3 Rochester Rochesters Brooklyn Gladiators X X X

5/7/1890 4 Rochester Rochesters Syracuse Stars X X

5/21/1890 3 Brooklyn Bridegrooms Cincinnati Reds X X

5/29/1890 5 Brooklyn Bridegrooms Chicago Colts X X

6/14/1890 9 New York Giants Brooklyn Ward's Wonders X X X

6/15/1890 7 Rochester Rochesters Syracuse Stars X X

6/30/1890 9 Boston Red Stockings Pittsburgh Burghers X X

7/10/1890 1 Chicago Colts Boston Beaneaters X X X

7/13/1890 9 St. Louis Browns Philadelphia Athletics X X X

7/15/1890 8 Chicago Pirates Philadelphia Quakers X X X

7/18/1890 7 Boston Beaneaters Cincinnati Reds X X

7/30/1890 7 Chicago Pirates Brooklyn Ward's Wonders X X

8/15/1890 3 Pittsburgh Burghers Chicago Pirates X X

8/21/1890 5 Philadelphia Athletics Louisville Colonels X X

9/6/1890 7 Brooklyn Ward's Wonders New York Giants X X

9/8/1890 2 Philadelphia Phillies Brooklyn Bridegrooms X X

9/14/1890 8 Baltimore Orioles Philadelphia Athletics X X

9/29/1890 9 Buffalo Bisons Boston Red Stockings X X

10/11/1890 1 Syracuse Stars Philadelphia Athletics X X

4/23/1891 9 Philadelphia Phillies Brooklyn Grooms X X X

5/5/1891 6 Chicago Colts Pittsburgh Pirates X X

5/20/1891 4 Boston Beaneaters Cleveland Spiders X X X

5/22/1891 9 Cincinnati Reds New York Giants X X X

5/26/1891 9 Boston Reds Cincinnati Kelly's Killers X X

6/11/1891 7 New York Giants Pittsburgh Pirates X X X

6/15/1891 4 New York Giants Chicago Colts X X

8/28/1891 7 Cincinnati Reds Brooklyn Grooms X X

9/11/1891 7 St. Louis Browns Boston Reds X X

7/21/1892 2 Pittsburgh Pirates Baltimore Orioles X X

8/5/1892 4 Boston Beaneaters Brooklyn Grooms X X X

5/24/1893 4 Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals X X X

5/26/1893 7 Brooklyn Grooms Baltimore Orioles X X X

6/24/1893 8 Baltimore Orioles Boston Beaneaters X X

7/20/1893 5 Baltimore Orioles Brooklyn Grooms X X

7/22/1893 1 Cincinnati Reds St. Louis Cardinals X X

9/8/1893 1 Washington Senators Cleveland Spiders X X X

5/5/1894 8 Baltimore Orioles Washington Senators X X

6/29/1894 8 St. Louis Cardinals Boston Beaneaters X X X

8/14/1894 6 Chicago Colts Brooklyn Grooms X X

8/15/1894 9 Boston Beaneaters Pittsburgh Pirates X X

8/18/1894 3 New York Giants Chicago Colts X X

9/11/1894 9 Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates X X

4/23/1895 9 Boston Beaneaters Washington Senators X X X

5/2/1895 7 Chicago Colts Louisville Colonels X X

5/9/1895 6 Philadelphia Phillies St. Louis Cardinals X X

6/13/1895 2 New York Giants St. Louis Cardinals X X

9/3/1895 1 Louisville Colonels Washington Senators X X

5/2/1896 5 Chicago Colts St. Louis Cardinals X X

6/1/1896 7 Pittsburgh Pirates Baltimore Orioles X X

7/3/1896 6 New York Giants Baltimore Orioles X X X

7/26/1896 1 Louisville Colonels Washington Senators X X

9/8/1896 1 Washington Senators St. Louis Cardinals X X


5/15/1897 3 New York Giants Cincinnati Reds X X

5/29/1897 2 New York Giants St. Louis Cardinals X X X

5/29/1897 6 Brooklyn Grooms Pittsburgh Pirates X X

7/30/1897 1 St. Louis Cardinals Louisville Colonels X X

7/20/1898 8 New York Giants Pittsburgh Pirates X X

7/23/1898 6 Chicago Orphans Cleveland Spiders X X

8/5/1898 7 Chicago Orphans Baltimore Orioles X X X

4/24/1899 9 Baltimore Orioles New York Giants X X

6/28/1899 5 St. Louis Cardinals Baltimore Orioles X X

7/22/1899 7 Louisville Colonels Brooklyn Superbas X X

8/14/1899 1 Cincinnati Reds Boston Beaneaters X X X

8/18/1899 2 Cleveland Spiders Brooklyn Superbas X X

10/10/1899 3 New York Giants Brooklyn Superbas X X X

4/25/1900 3 Cincinnati Reds Pittsburgh Pirates X X X

5/22/1901 2 Brooklyn Superbas St. Louis Cardinals X X X

6/14/1901 3 Chicago Orphans New York Giants X X

7/14/1901 5 Milwaukee Brewers Chicago White Stockings X X X

8/7/1901 4 Boston Americans Baltimore Orioles X X

8/8/1901 6 New York Giants Brooklyn Superbas X X

8/31/1901 4 St. Louis Cardinals Cincinnati Reds X X

9/5/1901 2 Pittsburgh Pirates New York Giants X X

9/26/1901 9 Baltimore Orioles Cleveland Blues X X


6/24/1902 7 Baltimore Orioles Philadelphia Athletics X X

6/26/1902 1 New York Giants Philadelphia Phillies X X X



8/15/1902 1 St. Louis Browns Washington Senators X X X

5/5/1903 9 New York Yankees Philadelphia Athletics X X

5/19/1903 5 Cincinnati Reds Brooklyn Superbas X X

6/11/1903 9 Cincinnati Reds New York Giants X X


8/18/1903 1 St. Louis Browns Philadelphia Athletics X X

8/23/1903 7 Boston Pilgrims St. Louis Browns X X


5/3/1904 1 Pittsburgh Pirates Chicago Cubs X X

4/15/1905 6 Pittsburgh Pirates Cincinnati Reds X X

4/24/1905 3 Washington Senators New York Yankees X X


7/11/1905 4 Boston Beaneaters Cincinnati Reds X X X

7/14/1905 9 Cincinnati Reds Boston Beaneaters X X


8/21/1905 1 Chicago Cubs Brooklyn Superbas X X


7/16/1906 7 Brooklyn Superbas Cincinnati Reds X X X

7/28/1906 6 New York Yankees Cleveland Naps X X

8/21/1906 1 Cleveland Naps Washington Senators X X X

9/22/1906 7 Philadelphia Athletics St. Louis Browns X X

5/4/1907 4 Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers X X

7/27/1907 4 Pittsburgh Pirates Philadelphia Phillies X X

9/23/1907 5 Chicago Cubs Philadelphia Phillies X X

4/28/1908 1 Philadelphia Athletics Washington Senators X X

6/6/1908 3 Detroit Tigers Boston Red Sox X X

6/7/1908 1 Detroit Tigers Boston Red Sox X X X

7/10/1908 1 St. Louis Cardinals Brooklyn Superbas X X

7/31/1908 3 Pittsburgh Pirates Brooklyn Superbas X X

9/3/1908 8 Brooklyn Superbas Philadelphia Phillies X X

9/5/1908 2 Philadelphia Phillies New York Giants X X

7/11/1909 4 Chicago White Sox Boston Red Sox X X

7/19/1909 2 Cleveland Naps Boston Red Sox X X

7/30/1909 4 Philadelphia Athletics Cleveland Naps X X

9/4/1909 4 Philadelphia Phillies Brooklyn Superbas X X

4/25/1910 6 New York Giants Brooklyn Superbas X X

4/28/1910 7 Brooklyn Superbas Boston Rustlers X X X

5/4/1910 2 Detroit Tigers Chicago White Sox X X


7/20/1910 8 Cincinnati Reds New York Giants X X

7/30/1910 5 St. Louis Cardinals Chicago Cubs X X

8/27/1910 3 Chicago Cubs New York Giants X X

9/2/1910 6 Cincinnati Reds Pittsburgh Pirates X X


10/2/1910 3 Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds X X X

4/24/1911 8 Detroit Tigers St. Louis Browns X X

5/6/1911 9 New York Yankees Boston Red Sox X X

5/20/1911 6 Detroit Tigers Philadelphia Athletics X X



10/4/1911 9 Brooklyn Dodgers New York Giants X X

10/9/1911 5 Boston Braves Philadelphia Phillies X X


6/3/1912 8 Brooklyn Dodgers Cincinnati Reds X X X

8/11/1912 7 Chicago White Sox Philadelphia Athletics X X

4/23/1913 3 Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals X X X

5/16/1913 7 Philadelphia Athletics Cleveland Naps X X

6/12/1913 9 Boston Braves Cincinnati Reds X X

6/17/1913 4 Washington Senators Cleveland Naps X X

8/2/1913 7 St. Louis Cardinals Boston Braves X X


4/29/1914 6 Washington Senators Philadelphia Athletics X X

5/1/1914 2 Chicago Cubs St. Louis Cardinals X X X

5/5/1914 3 New York Yankees Washington Senators X X X

5/6/1914 1 Cleveland Naps St. Louis Browns X X

5/8/1914 9 Washington Senators Philadelphia Athletics X X X

5/20/1914 7 Kansas City Packers Baltimore Terrapins X X X

7/28/1914 4 Philadelphia Athletics Detroit Tigers X X

8/22/1914 6 Cincinnati New York Giants X X

9/14/1914 3 Cleveland Naps Detroit Tigers X X

5/6/1915 6 St. Louis Terriers Brooklyn Tip‐Tops X X

5/12/1915 8 Cleveland Indians New York Yankees X X

6/26/1915 8 St. Louis Terriers Baltimore Terrapins X X

7/24/1915 10 Kansas City Packers Buffalo Blues X X

7/24/1915 9 Cleveland Indians Philadelphia Athletics X X

7/26/1915 7 Brooklyn Tip‐Tops St. Louis Terriers X X


8/10/1915 1 St. Louis Browns Boston Red Sox X X

9/19/1915 2 Chicago Whales Buffalo Blues X X

4/29/1916 7 Chicago White Sox St. Louis Browns X X



8/26/1916 3 New York Yankees St. Louis Browns X X X

4/30/1917 6 St. Louis Browns Cleveland Indians X X

7/31/1917 2 Boston Braves Chicago Cubs X X


8/28/1917 3 New York Yankees Chicago White Sox X X X

9/18/1917 2 Pittsburgh Pirates Boston Braves X X X


5/26/1918 8 Philadelphia Phillies Cincinnati Reds X X

6/1/1918 8 New York Yankees Chicago White Sox X X X

7/25/1918 3 Cincinnati Reds Boston Braves X X

5/25/1919 8 Chicago White Sox Washington Senators X X X

6/2/1919 4 Cleveland Indians St. Louis Browns X X X

6/21/1919 2 St. Louis Browns Boston Red Sox X X X

7/17/1919 4 St. Louis Cardinals Philadelphia Phillies X X

8/14/1919 9 Detroit Tigers New York Yankees X X

8/31/1919 2 St. Louis Browns Detroit Tigers X X

9/5/1919 2 Boston Red Sox Philadelphia Athletics X X

9/12/1919 6 Chicago Cubs Brooklyn Dodgers X X

5/10/1920 7 Philadelphia Athletics Boston Red Sox X X

5/22/1920 10 St. Louis Cardinals New York Giants X X

7/7/1920 2 Pittsburgh Pirates Philadelphia Phillies X X

7/25/1920 3 Boston Red Sox New York Yankees X X

8/21/1920 3 Pittsburgh Pirates Philadelphia Phillies X X X


10/10/1920 5 Cleveland Indians Brooklyn Dodgers X X



6/13/1921 8 New York Giants St. Louis Cardinals X X

7/15/1921 7 Chicago White Sox Washington Senators X X

7/27/1921 5 St. Louis Cardinals Philadelphia Phillies X X X

8/30/1921 3 Chicago Cubs New York Giants X X

8/30/1921 6 Boston Braves Cincinnati Reds X X X

9/1/1921 5 Brooklyn Dodgers New York Giants X X X

9/14/1921 4 Washington Senators St. Louis Browns X X

9/27/1921 4 Boston Braves Brooklyn Dodgers X X


4/30/1922 3 Cleveland Indians St. Louis Browns X X

5/11/1922 6 Boston Braves Cincinnati Reds X X

5/16/1922 9 Washington Senators Detroit Tigers X X


8/11/1922 9 Boston Red Sox Washington Senators X X


9/12/1922 1 Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians X X X


5/16/1923 11 St. Louis Cardinals Boston Braves X X

6/1/1923 3 Detroit Tigers Cleveland Indians X X


7/19/1923 8 Pittsburgh Pirates Boston Braves X X

8/4/1923 3 Philadelphia Athletics Detroit Tigers X X

8/22/1923 5 Washington Senators Cleveland Indians X X

9/3/1923 2 St. Louis Browns Cleveland Indians X X

9/14/1923 2 Boston Red Sox Cleveland Indians X X


4/19/1924 5 St. Louis Cardinals Pittsburgh Pirates X X


5/28/1924 4 New York Yankees Washington Senators X X



6/28/1924 2 St. Louis Browns Chicago White Sox X X X






5/1/1925 6 Philadelphia Phillies Boston Braves X X X

5/7/1925 9 Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals X X



6/29/1925 5 Philadelphia Phillies Brooklyn Dodgers X X

8/25/1925 2 Cleveland Indians Philadelphia Athletics X X


5/14/1926 3 Boston Red Sox Detroit Tigers X X


6/5/1926 7 Cleveland Indians New York Yankees X X X

6/6/1926 8 Boston Red Sox Chicago White Sox X X

6/14/1926 7 Brooklyn Dodgers St. Louis Cardinals X X

6/24/1926 3 Washington Senators Philadelphia Athletics X X


9/11/1926 4 Cleveland Indians Washington Senators X X



5/29/1927 7 St. Louis Browns Cleveland Indians X X X

5/30/1927 4 Chicago Cubs Pittsburgh Pirates X X



8/19/1927 8 Boston Red Sox Detroit Tigers X X




5/23/1928 9 Cleveland Indians Chicago White Sox X X X


4/26/1929 6 New York Yankees Philadelphia Athletics X X X

4/30/1929 7 Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians X X


5/18/1929 5 Brooklyn Dodgers Philadelphia Phillies X X

5/25/1929 8 Brooklyn Dodgers Philadelphia Phillies X X X



7/4/1929 2 Cincinnati Reds Chicago Cubs X X



9/19/1929 8 St. Louis Browns Washington Senators X X





8/9/1930 4 Brooklyn Dodgers St. Louis Cardinals X X




6/6/1931 9 New York Yankees Cleveland Indians X X

7/1/1931 4 Philadelphia Phillies Chicago Cubs X X

7/23/1931 6 Chicago White Sox Boston Red Sox X X X

9/6/1931 6 Cincinnati Reds St. Louis Cardinals X X X

9/11/1931 1 Chicago White Sox New York Yankees X X


9/26/1931 4 St. Louis Browns Chicago White Sox X X

5/13/1932 3 Brooklyn Dodgers Cincinnati Reds X X


9/14/1932 5 Boston Braves Pittsburgh Pirates X X


8/20/1933 5 St. Louis Cardinals Brooklyn Dodgers X X

5/11/1934 1 Chicago Cubs Brooklyn Dodgers X X X








7/29/1935 9 St. Louis Browns Chicago White Sox X X

9/7/1935 9 Cleveland Indians Boston Red Sox X X X

4/24/1936 4 Detroit Tigers St. Louis Browns X X



6/27/1936 4 Washington Senators Chicago White Sox X X X


8/7/1936 9 Cleveland Indians Chicago White Sox X X



9/20/1936 1 Boston Red Sox Philadelphia Athletics X X


4/30/1937 7 Pittsburgh Pirates Chicago Cubs X X X

7/12/1937 1 New York Giants Philadelphia Phillies X X X



5/11/1938 2 St. Louis Browns Philadelphia Athletics X X X


6/1/1939 12 Brooklyn Dodgers Chicago Cubs X X


9/24/1939 7 New York Yankees Washington Senators X X X



9/10/1940 9 Washington Senators Chicago White Sox X X



8/22/1942 11 Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds X X








8/6/1944 7 Brooklyn Dodgers Boston Braves X X X




7/20/1945 7 Detroit Tigers Washington Senators X X


5/13/1946 2 Cleveland Indians St. Louis Browns X X

5/22/1946 8 New York Yankees Detroit Tigers X X

6/11/1946 1 Chicago White Sox Philadelphia Athletics X X







5/8/1948 7 Philadelphia Athletics Chicago White Sox X X

5/10/1948 8 Cleveland Indians Boston Red Sox X X






4/26/1949 3 Brooklyn Dodgers Boston Braves X X



7/2/1949 3 Pittsburgh Pirates Chicago Cubs X X X

8/27/1949 3 St. Louis Cardinals New York Giants X X

9/25/1949 1 Boston Braves New York Giants X X





8/15/1950 5 Cleveland Indians Detroit Tigers X X

8/17/1950 2 St. Louis Browns Cleveland Indians X X X

5/13/1951 9 Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians X X

8/14/1951 8 Boston Red Sox Philadelphia Athletics X X X

9/1/1951 5 New York Giants Brooklyn Dodgers X X






7/17/1953 2 New York Yankees St. Louis Browns X X


8/30/1953 8 Cincinnati Reds Philadelphia Phillies X X

9/2/1953 4 St. Louis Browns New York Yankees X X

4/24/1954 3 Washington Senators Boston Red Sox X X

6/23/1954 1 Boston Red Sox Baltimore Orioles X X X

8/21/1954 4 Cleveland Indians Baltimore Orioles X X



5/5/1955 7 Pittsburgh Pirates Milwaukee Braves X X X

5/28/1955 4 New York Giants Brooklyn Dodgers X X

6/12/1955 7 Chicago Cubs Brooklyn Dodgers X X X

7/19/1955 2 Milwaukee Braves Pittsburgh Pirates X X


8/3/1955 8 Baltimore Orioles Kansas City Athletics X X


5/30/1956 6 St. Louis Cardinals Cincinnati Reds X X X

9/25/1956 5 St. Louis Cardinals Chicago Cubs X X X

5/16/1957 2 New York Yankees Kansas City Athletics X X




4/27/1958 1 Chicago Cubs San Francisco Giants X X

6/2/1958 6 Washington Senators Baltimore Orioles X X

6/28/1958 7 Philadelphia Phillies St. Louis Cardinals X X




7/6/1960 7 Milwaukee Braves Philadelphia Phillies X X X

7/23/1960 3 Washington Senators Kansas City Athletics X X

5/30/1962 6 New York Mets Los Angeles Dodgers X X

9/30/1962 8 Chicago Cubs New York Mets X X


9/15/1963 5 Detroit Tigers Baltimore Orioles X X

9/28/1963 7 Boston Red Sox Los Angeles Angels X X

5/17/1964 5 Philadelphia Phillies Houston Colts X X

5/31/1964 14 New York Mets San Francisco Giants X X

6/4/1964 2 Milwaukee Braves Cincinnati Reds X X

8/15/1964 2 Philadelphia Phillies New York Mets X X

9/10/1964 5 Washington Senators Baltimore Orioles X X X


4/15/1965 2 New York Mets Houston Astros X X

5/3/1965 6 San Francisco Giants St. Louis Cardinals X X

7/14/1965 2 Chicago Cubs Milwaukee Braves X X



8/18/1965 1 Boston Red Sox Baltimore Orioles X X

9/4/1965 2 New York Yankees Boston Red Sox X X




8/18/1966 2 Minnesota Twins California Angels X X

9/4/1966 1 Kansas City Athletics Boston Red Sox X X X

9/17/1966 9 Chicago White Sox Baltimore Orioles X X

9/28/1966 6 New York Mets Chicago Cubs X X

5/2/1967 2 San Francisco Giants New York Mets X X


6/25/1967 5 New York Yankees Detroit Tigers X X


8/6/1967 5 Chicago White Sox Baltimore Orioles X X



6/3/1968 8 New York Yankees Minnesota Twins X X X

6/23/1968 3 Washington Senators Oakland Athletics X X

7/30/1968 1 Washington Senators Cleveland Indians X X


9/1/1968 3 Detroit Tigers Baltimore Orioles X X

9/10/1968 5 Minnesota Twins Cleveland Indians X X

5/30/1969 4 Pittsburgh Pirates Houston Astros X X

6/25/1969 2 Montreal Expos St. Louis Cardinals X X


8/6/1969 4 Baltimore Orioles Kansas City Royals X X

8/13/1969 1 San Diego Padres Chicago Cubs X X

8/29/1969 1 Atlanta Braves Chicago Cubs X X

6/6/1970 3 Pittsburgh Pirates Los Angeles Dodgers X X

6/26/1970 5 California Angels Kansas City Royals X X


4/28/1971 3 Milwaukee Brewers Boston Red Sox X X

7/9/1971 7 Pittsburgh Pirates Atlanta Braves X X

7/16/1971 3 Houston Astros New York Mets X X

8/1/1971 7 San Diego Padres Atlanta Braves X X

9/17/1971 2 Houston Astros Cincinnati Reds X X X


6/3/1972 2 Montreal Expos Houston Astros X X

6/4/1972 9 San Diego Padres Chicago Cubs X X

6/27/1972 4 California Angels Minnesota Twins X X


8/13/1972 3 Kansas City Royals Texas Rangers X X

6/13/1973 7 Montreal Expos San Diego Padres X X X

7/7/1973 4 Baltimore Orioles Oakland Athletics X X

9/3/1973 1 Cleveland Indians Milwaukee Brewers X X

9/20/1973 5 Baltimore Orioles Detroit Tigers X X

9/7/1975 4 Montreal Expos Pittsburgh Pirates X X

6/7/1976 5 Cleveland Indians Minnesota Twins X X

6/21/1976 3 San Francisco Giants San Diego Padres X X

7/25/1976 1 Minnesota Twins Chicago White Sox X X

4/22/1977 4 Seattle Mariners Kansas City Royals X X

5/8/1977 3 St. Louis Cardinals Houston Astros X X

6/3/1977 9 Baltimore Orioles Kansas City Royals X X X

7/14/1977 5 California Angels Seattle Mariners X X


8/8/1977 5 Texas Rangers Oakland Athletics X X

4/6/1978 7 Houston Astros Cincinnati Reds X X

4/11/1978 2 San Diego Padres Atlanta Braves X X X

4/21/1978 9 Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers X X

4/22/1978 2 Toronto Blue Jays Chicago White Sox X X

7/15/1978 7 Atlanta Braves Philadelphia Phillies X X

9/9/1978 6 Baltimore Orioles Toronto Blue Jays X X

5/7/1979 3 Oakland Athletics Baltimore Orioles X X

5/10/1979 7 Boston Red Sox California Angels X X

5/16/1979 2 Milwaukee Brewers California Angels X X

6/10/1979 6 Baltimore Orioles Texas Rangers X X

6/19/1979 6 Oakland Athletics Kansas City Royals X X

6/23/1979 4 Oakland Athletics Texas Rangers X X

7/23/1979 8 Boston Red Sox California Angels X X X

7/23/1979 2 Pittsburgh Pirates Atlanta Braves X X

7/28/1979 1 Boston Red Sox Texas Rangers X X

9/7/1979 8 Toronto Blue Jays Cleveland Indians X X

9/21/1979 7 Toronto Blue Jays New York Yankees X X

5/31/1980 2 Seattle Mariners Cleveland Indians X X


8/12/1980 4 Montreal Expos St. Louis Cardinals X X

8/20/1980 8 Detroit Tigers Milwaukee Brewers X X

10/3/1980 4 San Francisco Giants San Diego Padres X X

4/11/1981 8 St. Louis Cardinals Philadelphia Phillies X X X

4/27/1981 6 Oakland Athletics California Angels X X

5/22/1981 8 Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers X X



5/29/1982 2 Minnesota Twins New York Yankees X X


8/23/1982 1 Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres X X



7/18/1983 3 Oakland Athletics Detroit Tigers X X

7/31/1983 4 San Diego Padres Atlanta Braves X X

8/8/1983 4 Minnesota Twins California Angels X X

9/27/1983 4 St. Louis Cardinals Montreal Expos X X X

7/19/1984 2 Minnesota Twins New York Yankees X X

5/3/1985 6 Kansas City Royals New York Yankees X X

8/8/1985 8 Chicago Cubs St. Louis Cardinals X X

5/13/1986 1 Seattle Mariners Milwaukee Brewers X X

6/5/1986 3 Atlanta Braves San Diego Padres X X

6/15/1986 2 Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners X X


8/12/1986 9 Seattle Mariners Oakland Athletics X X

4/21/1987 9 Pittsburgh Pirates New York Mets X X


4/5/1988 8 Minnesota Twins New York Yankees X X X

7/4/1988 4 Kansas City Royals Boston Red Sox X X

8/8/1988 4 Minnesota Twins Cleveland Indians X X

8/16/1988 8 St. Louis Cardinals Houston Astros X X

4/9/1989 8 San Diego Padres Houston Astros X X


6/15/1989 1 Baltimore Orioles New York Yankees X X

6/28/1989 6 Cincinnati Reds Atlanta Braves X X

9/27/1989 2 Montreal Expos Chicago Cubs X X

7/17/1990 4 Minnesota Twins Boston Red Sox X X X

7/17/1990 8 Minnesota Twins Boston Red Sox X X

8/8/1990 7 Baltimore Orioles Oakland Athletics X X

9/21/1990 4 Houston Astros Atlanta Braves X X

4/16/1991 2 Houston Astros Atlanta Braves X X

4/28/1991 1 Philadelphia Phillies San Diego Padres X X

6/1/1991 2 Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers X X


9/5/1991 2 St. Louis Cardinals San Diego Padres X X

9/8/1991 9 Montreal Expos Cincinnati Reds X X

9/10/1991 5 Seattle Mariners Toronto Blue Jays X X

7/3/1992 5 Detroit Tigers Seattle Mariners X X

8/7/1992 6 Cleveland Indians Baltimore Orioles X X X

8/25/1992 5 Baltimore Orioles California Angels X X

8/30/1992 5 Seattle Mariners Baltimore Orioles X X


5/11/1993 2 St. Louis Cardinals New York Mets X X



9/29/1993 3 Montreal Expos Florida Marlins X X

5/14/1994 3 Kansas City Royals Oakland Athletics X X

7/8/1994 6 Boston Red Sox Seattle Mariners X X

7/13/1995 9 Seattle Mariners Toronto Blue Jays X X

7/17/1995 6 Cincinnati Reds San Diego Padres X X

9/12/1995 4 Cincinnati Reds Florida Marlins X X

4/3/1996 6 Kansas City Royals Baltimore Orioles X X

4/7/1996 3 Oakland Athletics Detroit Tigers X X


6/15/1996 1 Los Angeles Dodgers Atlanta Braves X X



5/19/1997 1 San Diego Padres Cincinnati Reds X X

7/5/1997 4 Anaheim Angels Seattle Mariners X X

7/28/1997 4 Milwaukee Brewers Toronto Blue Jays X X

5/8/1998 4 San Francisco Giants Chicago Cubs X X

6/13/1998 5 Los Angeles Dodgers Colorado Rockies X X

8/5/1998 5 New York Mets San Francisco Giants X X

8/30/1998 8 Philadelphia Phillies San Francisco Giants X X

4/16/1999 7 Milwaukee Brewers Chicago Cubs X X


6/14/1999 5 San Francisco Giants Colorado Rockies X X

6/17/1999 2 Texas Rangers New York Yankees X X

5/11/2000 5 Atlanta Braves Florida Marlins X X


5/29/2000 6 Oakland Athletics New York Yankees X X

5/31/2000 5 Arizona Diamondbacks St. Louis Cardinals X X X

9/1/2000 2 Baltimore Orioles Cleveland Indians X X

8/1/2001 4 Detroit Tigers Seattle Mariners X X

8/6/2001 4 Texas Rangers Boston Red Sox X X

4/14/2002 4 Texas Rangers Seattle Mariners X X

5/17/2002 5 New York Mets San Diego Padres X X

7/28/2002 3 Florida Marlins Montreal Expos X X

8/1/2002 6 St. Louis Cardinals Florida Marlins X X

9/3/2002 8 Montreal Expos Philadelphia Phillies X X

9/13/2002 5 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Toronto Blue Jays X X

4/10/2003 6 Colorado Rockies St. Louis Cardinals X X

8/10/2003 5 Atlanta Braves St. Louis Cardinals X X

5/6/2004 8 Atlanta Braves San Diego Padres X X

7/7/2004 6 Chicago White Sox Anaheim Angels X X

8/19/2004 5 Houston Astros Philadelphia Phillies X X X

5/5/2005 2 St. Louis Cardinals San Diego Padres X X

5/14/2006 6 Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins X X

5/27/2006 8 Minnesota Twins Seattle Mariners X X X

6/11/2006 2 Kansas City Royals Tampa Bay Devil Rays X X

9/2/2006 1 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Seattle Mariners X X



4/29/2007 7 Colorado Rockies Atlanta Braves X X

8/27/2007 7 Cleveland Indians Minnesota Twins X X

9/12/2007 1 Philadelphia Phillies Colorado Rockies X X

5/12/2008 5 Cleveland Indians Toronto Blue Jays X X

5/30/2008 8 San Francisco Giants San Diego Padres X X X


5/4/2009 2 Arizona Diamondbacks Los Angeles Dodgers X X

5/20/2009 4 Texas Rangers Detroit Tigers X X


9/6/2009 6 Milwaukee Brewers San Francisco Giants X X

Key: An "X" in columns 1st, 2nd, or 3rd indicates that a runner was on that base. A blank indicates that no runner was on that base..

Data Source: 1 Retrosheet event files 1954-2009, SABR Triple Play database 1876-2009 2 Thanks to SABR Member, David Smith who has provided me millions of event records over the years and without whom this study could not have been accomplished. 3 Also thanks to SABR Member Tom Ruane whose 1999 analysis of triple plays initiated my research 4 Thanks to all of the SABR researchers who worked on the Triple Play Project: David Arcidiacono, Priscilla Astifan, David Ball, Cliff Blau, Sam Clements, John Delahanty, Steve Gietschier, Joe Haardt, Frank Hamilton, Kevin Harlow, Ed Hartig, Richard Hershberger, Troy Kirk, John Lewis, Don Luce, Mike Lynch, Bob McConnell, Wayne McElreavy, Bill Nowlin, Bob Richardson, Chuck Rosciam, John Schwartz, Ron Selter, Stew Thornley, Richard Topp, Frank Vaccaro, Jim Weigand 5 Special thanks to SABR Member, Frank Hamilton who has provided mountains of material, review, and suggestions on the triple plays and who also co-authored with me on the narrative descriptions of the triple plays published elsewhere.

triple plays analysis - retrosheet · troy tulowitski col ss 4/29/2007 7th atlanta braves asdrubal...

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