A triple play...without the ball touching a glove

[ElToro75]

I was listening/watching to BBTN on ESPN the other night when they were covering the unassited triple play from the other day. Buck Showalter was talking about a game he was managing in the minors where his team hit into a triple play...without the ball ever hitting a glove.

It broke down something like this:

• Runners at 1st & 2nd, full count, no outs (obviously), Buck sends the runners on the pitch
  
• Batter hits a pop up in the infield; infield fly is called - 1st out
  
• The runner from 1st base is running with his head down and passes the runner from 2nd base who stopped, or at least headed back towards 2nd base - 2nd out
  
• The fly ball comes down and plunks the runner who was on 2nd base - 3rd out
  

Here is a link, not the greatest quality on the video but the audio is good.

[ledzepp8]

Yeah I saw them talking about that the other night. I have to say it makes no sense whatsoever. I mean I get why the runners would be out. I just have a hard time believing that you call a hit and run and the ball is popped up and an infield fly is called but the guy running from 1st is completely oblivious to this fact...so much so that he runs past the guy heading back to 2b. That takes an awful lot of piss poor running and being completely oblivious to the fact that a baseball game is going on around you.

[ElToro75]

I agree, it doesn't make much sense. I think he called the hit & run b/c it was a full count and he wanted to start the runners early. That being said, the base runners should at least be aware that the ball was a pop up, and to keep an eye on the base runner directly infront of you.

How would you score that play BTW?

[Crazysilver03]

Yeah I saw them talking about that the other night. I have to say it makes no sense whatsoever. I mean I get why the runners would be out. I just have a hard time believing that you call a hit and run and the ball is popped up and an infield fly is called but the guy running from 1st is completely oblivious to this fact...so much so that he runs past the guy heading back to 2b. That takes an awful lot of piss poor running and being completely oblivious to the fact that a baseball game is going on around you.

Well he did say that neither one of the players ever made the major leagues.

[DrungoHazewood]

I spent way too long trying to come up with another scenario where a triple play could be turned without a fielder touching the ball. Here's the best I can muster:

Nobody out, men on first and third. The batter hits a flare to the second baseman. The runner from first tackles the second baseman before the ball arrives. He's out for interference. The ball rolls untouched into short right. The batter's bat shattered, revealing a chunk of cork. He's out for using an illegal bat. The guy on third, stunned by the turn of events, walks off the field into the dugout, thinking there were already three outs. He's out for abandoning his base, as per rule 7.08a, part 2.

Is that sound? I mean, besides the fact that it's slightly less likely than having the ball lodge in the beak of a low-flying pelican...

[DrungoHazewood]

Well he did say that neither one of the players ever made the major leagues.

I guess that eliminates the idea I had, that the runner who didn't hear the infield fly call was Curtis Pride.

[Mackus]

I got one:

Runners on first and second, running on the pitch.

Soft liner to SS, he catches it with his bare hand, steps on second, then touches the ball to the runner coming from first.

[DrungoHazewood]

I got one:

Runners on first and second, running on the pitch.

Soft liner to SS, he catches it with his bare hand, steps on second, then touches the ball to the runner coming from first.

I took the "never hitting a glove" to really mean "no fielder touched a ball."

[Miller192]

This is as close as it gets under any scenario. One that just happened to us two weeks ago.

Runner on 1st and 2nd, I was actually on first. Batter hits a shallow blop to center and the runners take off, the shortstop dives for it and we all thinks he catches it. As it turns out, we had a bad angle and it never touched his glove. Our 3rd base coach starts yelling "Back! Back!" which we all do. The batter goes half way to first and gets called out because he is running back to the dugout, me and the second base runner get called out for not advancing on the play....triple play.

The ball never touched his glove. We were told that we were called out because we ran the bases in reverse order....which I'm not too sure about.

We were more pissed about the fact that the ump didn't make any sign as to whether the ball was caught or not. He doesn't have to but good umpires do.

[Mackus]

I took the "never hitting a glove" to really mean "no fielder touched a ball."

Well that was stupid.

[Mackus]

Runner on 1st and 2nd, I was actually on first. Batter hits a shallow blop to center and the runners take off, the shortstop dives for it and we all thinks he catches it. As it turns out, we had a bad angle and it never touched his glove. Our 3rd base coach starts yelling "Back! Back!" which we all do. The batter goes half way to first and gets called out because he is running back to the dugout, me and the second base runner get called out for not advancing on the play....triple play..

I don't think the batter should have been called out unless they were trying to make a play on him or he actually entered the dugout.

[BaltimoreTerp]

This is as close as it gets under any scenario. One that just happened to us two weeks ago.

Runner on 1st and 2nd, I was actually on first. Batter hits a shallow blop to center and the runners take off, the shortstop dives for it and we all thinks he catches it. As it turns out, we had a bad angle and it never touched his glove. Our 3rd base coach starts yelling "Back! Back!" which we all do. The batter goes half way to first and gets called out because he is running back to the dugout, me and the second base runner get called out for not advancing on the play....triple play.

The ball never touched his glove. We were told that we were called out because we ran the bases in reverse order....which I'm not too sure about.

We were more pissed about the fact that the ump didn't make any sign as to whether the ball was caught or not. He doesn't have to but good umpires do.

How do you get called out for not advancing? Once the batter is out, assuming that was called before the other two, the runners don't have to advance.

[Mackus]

How do you get called out for not advancing? Once the batter is out, assuming that was called before the other two, the runners don't have to advance.

Oh yeah, guess I didn't read that well enough the first time. That makes no sense at all.

[Miller192]

How do you get called out for not advancing? Once the batter is out, assuming that was called before the other two, the runners don't have to advance.

We did advance, but turned back when our 3rd base coach yelled "back!" That's why we were called out because we didn't advance, and as he put, we ran the bases in reverse order.

Mackus, the batter was out because he thought it was a catch and ran outside of the field of play.

The batter was ruled out as simultaneously as we were.

Everyone thought he caught the ball but the SS and the ump. When our 3rd base coach saw what he and us thought was a catch, he yelled to get back. Therefore, the running the bases in reverse order argument.

It wasn't the not advancing part as it was running the bases in the wrong direction.

[Miller192]

By the way, my argument with the ump (which got heated) was that it wouldn't be running the bases in reverse order because I didn't actually reach the next base.