The Phillies had a 4-0 lead in the third inning Monday night, though the Tigers were threatening. They had runners at the corners with nobody out, which is the makings of a great rally. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Matt Vierling's broken-bat, soft liner ended up in the glove of pitcher Aaron Nola and the two baserunners had strayed enough off the bases for it to become a triple play.
Here it is:
🚨 TRIPLE PLAY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/eHmPP4ejv6
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 24, 2024
It looks like Zach McKinstry on third base got fooled and somehow thought the ball hit the ground, because he took off for home with a purpose. Generally speaking, we need something funky to happen to experience a triple play and that portion of this play stands out.
Score that one 1-3-5 and if you think that hardly ever happens, you're spot on. This appears to have been the first 1-3-5 triple play in Major League Baseball since July 11, 1929, according to Baseball Almanac (via Matt Gelb).
As we often say, heading to the ballpark on any given day, you'll have the chance to see something you've never seen before. For the fans in attendance Monday in Philadelphia, this certainly qualified.
