Watch: Red Sox run into ugly 8-3-5 triple play, first in AL/NL history since 1884
Triple plays are a rarity in baseball, with Boston’s blooper standing as the first triple play of the 2023 season.
The 2023 Red Sox have been hindered time and time again this year by defensive miscues and poor baserunning.
But Alex Cora’s club put together a baserunning blunder for the ages during Tuesday’s home game against the Braves at Fenway Park.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Red Sox had runners on first and second with no outs.
Triston Casas hit a fly ball to shallow center Michael Harris II for the first out. Adam Duvall, situated on first, drifted way too far off the bag and was subsequently picked off for the second out.
Duvall’s lack of awareness resulted in an ugly double play, but an ill-advised run by Masataka Yoshida led to disaster. As Harris threw to first to pick off Duvall, Yoshida tried to advance from second to third.
Matt Olson easily threw him out, with Austin Riley tagging Yoshida well before he reached the bag at the hot corner.
Here’s a full look at the sequence.
Triple plays are a rarity in baseball, with Boston’s blooper standing as the first triple play of the 2023 season. The Red Sox last hit into a triple play back on May 2, 2017 against the Orioles.
But the manner in which Boston ran into three outs (an 8-3-5 triple play) last occurred in an AL/NL history 139 years ago.
According to SABR, the last 8-3-5 triple play happened on June 7, 1884 in a game between the Boston Beaneaters and the Providence Grays.
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