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Every time you go to the stadium, you might see something you’ve never seen before. And that was the case Monday at Guaranteed Rate Field, where fans saw the first 8-5 triple (from center fielder to third baseman) in MLB history. The Minnesota Twins turned the first triple of their kind against the Chicago White Sox at home into a possible 6-3 victory, though it would be more accurate to say that the White Sox faced triple play.
AJ Pollock lifted a well-hit ball with no outs and runners in first and second to Byron Buxton in midfield, and Yoan Moncada and Adam Engel had a bit of a mental slip at the bases after the catch. Here is the video.
It’s a confusing play, so here’s the breakdown: Buxton’s catch is the first to come out. The second start is Gio Urshela tagging Moncada, who was the first base runner when the play started. The third out is Urshela stepping on second base to double Engel. Engel was very out of frame and somewhere near the house at the time.
While triple play is the headliner, you should take a moment to appreciate Buxton’s capture. It was not an easy play. Statcast says Pollock’s unit had an 82% chance of impact depending on the launch angle and exit speed. Buxton is so good in midfield. Engel said he thought the ball wasn’t trapped, so he threw himself home.
“When he looked at the wall, I thought he was looking for the ball to go down,” Engel told MLB.com. “I just made a bad play. I was wrong. Unfortunate. It cost us a few runs, most likely, and I probably would have been winning the game.”
MLB.com and the SABR database confirm that it is indeed the first 8-5 triple play in baseball history. According to my unofficial count, this is the 27th triple that a center fielder starts and the first since former New York Mets center fielder Angel Pagan started an 8-2-6-3 triple with a reduced catch against Washington Nationals in 2010..
The Twins have been in the habit of making triple plays in recent years. Monday was the fourth since 2019. No team has more. The White Sox, meanwhile, have played triples in consecutive seasons after failing to hit any between 2011 and 2020.
This is the third triple play this season. The Texas Rangers made a 3-6 triple play against the Seattle Mariners on April 20, and the Nationals made a 5-4-3 triple play against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 20.