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- ⚾ Unassisted Triple Play: John Valentin
⚾ Unassisted Triple Play: John Valentin
The rarest defensive play in Baseball
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July 8, 1994 With the count 1-and-1 on Marc Newfield, Seattle started the runners.
The designated hitter lined the ball at Valentin, who made a backhanded catch, then jogged to second and stepped on the base to double off Blowers.
Mitchell, who was at first running on the pitch, now was walking toward second with his head down, appearing to have given up on the play. Valentin transferred the ball from his glove to his bare hand and nonchalantly reached out and tagged Mitchell on the shoulder, completing the 10th unassisted triple play in major-league history.
Trotting to the dugout, Valentin casually tossed the ball to the mound, his face showing no emotion. His routine manner while completing one of the rarest of all defensive plays probably contributed to the confusion in the ballpark. The subdued reaction from the crowd indicated that most people didn’t realize that Valentin had recorded three outs on the play.
As second-base umpire Matt Winans, who made all three out calls, remembered in a 2022 interview, “John Valentin and I were the only two people in the stadium who knew what was going on. I looked out into the outfield after calling the third out, and the outfielders were just standing there.
Valentin was confused by Mitchell’s giving up and not retreating toward first. “The guy didn’t run, so I thought there was one out,” Valentin said after the game. “I looked up to see the board and realized there was nobody out. So, I tagged him.”11
The Mariners TV broadcast reflected the overall confusion at Fenway. Play-by-play announcer Dave Niehaus expected Valentin to run and tag first. When Valentin flipped the ball to the mound after tagging Mitchell, color commentator Ron Fairly said, “Wait, wait a minute. Wait a minute! Wait, that’s only two outs!”
Watching the replay and counting the outs, Fairly saw Valentin make his discreet tag on Mitchell and said, “Oh, oh, he tags him. Okay, that’s it.”
The fog thickened as Valentin led off the bottom of the sixth to applause from the Red Sox fans, who now realized they had witnessed an unassisted triple play. With the count 3-and-2, Valentin hit a low fly ball that barely cleared the wall in left for Boston’s first run of the game.
As Valentin rounded the bases, Boston play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough exclaimed, “Well have yourself an inning Mr. Valentin!”
Only one other major leaguer had turned an unassisted triple play and hit a home run in the same inning: Neal Ball of the Cleveland Naps accomplished the feat in 1909
Sourced: Sabr Game Articles
Todays featured Podcast: Stan Musial has a day
Did you know?
July 8, 1921, Harry Heilmann hit a home run off "Bullet Joe" Bush that traveled over the center field fence in Detroit and "actually made the patrons gasp in astonishment." Heilmann's home run was widely reported to have traveled 610 feet, eclipsing Babe Ruth's longest home run of 465 feet. Detroit's grounds keeper was more conservative, reporting that no measurement was made, but estimating that it traveled more than 500 feet. In a column published after the 1921 season, Grantland Rice rated Heilmann as the premier scholar in the American League's School of Swat, ahead of Ty Cobb and Ruth.
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TRIVIA:
Who is the only Hall of Fame-eligible position player to lead the American League in WAR during a full-length season and never appear on a Hall of Fame ballot again after his first year?
Hint: #1 The year he led the majors in being hit-by-pitch, it was with a total nearly three times higher than his next-highest of any of the seventeen years of his career in The Bigs.
Hint: #2 Not since a certain Boston Red Sox pitcher did it has a batter won the American League home run title with fewer than this guy hit in his only HR title year.
July 8, 1941, at Briggs Stadium, Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams, hitting .405 at the break, hits a dramatic two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning, off Chicago Cubs P Claude Passeau giving the American League a 7-5 win in the All-Star Game. Williams's 4 RBI are matched by National League SS Arky Vaughan, who hits homers in the 7th and 8th.
The “Splendid Splinter’s” dramatic drive on a 1-1 came off a Passeau, his blast off the right-field press box makes the Briggs Stadium game was the first Midsummer Classic decided in the final inning. Joe Gordon and Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees on base.
July 8, 1949, Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson, brought up from Jersey City three days earlier, become the first black players for the New York Giants. Irvin walks in a pinch-hitting appearance in the 8th for Clint Hartung, while Thompson goes hitless in a 4-3 loss to Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The game marks the first time in major league history that a black hitter faces a black pitcher.
Thompson, who was also the first black to play for the St. Louis Browns in 1947. Thompson broke into the majors 12 days after Larry Doby's American League debut with the Indians in 1947.
July 8, 1958 — At Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, in a contest that features no extra-base hits (13 singles), the American League edges the Senior Circuit, 4-3. Giants hurler Billy O’Dell pitched a perfect final three innings of the Silver Anniversary of the All-Star Game. The Yankees’ Gil McDougald pinch-hitting immersed in a serious slump delivers a single in the 6th to score Boston’s Frank Malzone with the deciding run. White Sox pitcher Early Wynn will be credited with the win 4-3 before 48,000 plus fans. (Link above to listen to game)
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July 8, 1962, At the Polo Grounds 41-year-old Stan Musial becomes the oldest man to hit three home runs in a game when he victimizes the New York Mets. The longtime star, who had homered in his last at-bat the previous game, helps the St. Louis Cardinals to a 15-1 win. Musial misses an opportunity for another at-bat in the ninth inning, after being replaced in the previous frame by pinch-runner Bobby Gene Smith. (Link above to listen to then gane)
July 8 , 1973 --At Montreal, Tommy Helms' two-run single caps a ninth-inning comeback for Astros 9-7 victory in Montreal. Cesar Cedeno clubs two home runs and Doug Rader adds a solo shot.
The real fireworks came when Bob Watson breaks SS Tim Foli's jaw while sliding into second. Watson raised his forearm in defense, and Foli ran face-first into it. He flew backwards, landed on the infield and lay on his back, blood pouring out of his ears. Foli was carried off the field on a stretcher and lost 2 teeth in the incident. His X rays will later confirm the injury and his jaw was wired shut. He is expected to miss at least a month of the season. Watson a big man and 6-3, 206 pounds vs Foli who is a mare 170 pounds.
“I don’t know what he was thinking about but he charged right at me,” Watson said, pointing to his forearm. “He ran into me right there. I hit him hard. I knew he was hurt. His glasses flew 40-50 feet. After that, I just walked to the base. Then I looked at him and said, “oh no.” I thought I might have killed him. Read more on this story and Bob Watson on RIP Baseball.
Watson upon returning to Leftfield was showed with debris from the angry fans at Parc Jarry, Watson claimed an apple whizzed by his ear. Umpire Shag Crawford warned the crowd that any ball that touched the debris would be ruled an out.
July 8, 1976, At Wrigley Field, Randy Jones of the San Diego Padres sets a National League record for most wins by the All-Star break when he posts his 16th victory of the season. The soft-tossing left-hander, who defeats the Chicago Cubs, 6-3, the 26 year-old southpaw’s good fortune runs out when he will lose seven games by a run, including two 1-0 loses and he will finish the season with a record of 22-14.
July 8, 1977 - At Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburg Pirate pitcher Bruce Kison. gives up a three homerun to Garry Maddox that broke a 3-3 tie giving the Phillies a 6-3 lead in the 7th inning. After getting Larry Bowa to ground out, Kison hits future Hall of famer and 3 Time MVP Mike Schmidt in the back.
“Next time I’m coming out there,” Schmidt yelled.
“Why wait?” Kison replied.
Schmidt charges the mound after getting hit in the back by the Pirates’ Bruce Kison. Schmidt has 25 homeruns at the time will dislocate his finger and only hit 13 more on the season. Schmidt will hit only .063 in the NLCS against the Dodgers.
But Blass said Kison thought better of Schmidt after that incident. The Pirates will make a tremendous comeback and win the game 8-7, the win comes on a bases loaded walk by Jim Fregosi. Kison also had a few other batters hit didn't think twice about hitting, he will hit 3 Orioles in game 4 of the 1971 World Series a key victory for the Pirates on their way to the title they will win in 7 games.
July 8, 1980 -- At Dodger Stadium, the 51st All-Star Game features J.R. Richard (10-4) and Steve Stone (12-3) as the starters, with Richard going just two innings because of various back and shoulder problems he's been having. Richard becomes the first Astro to be the starting pitcher in an All-Star Game. He fans three in two innings of work
The National League battles back to win its 9th consecutive Midsummer Classic, 4 - 2, pinning the loss on Dodger defector Tommy John. Reds outfielder Ken Griffey goes 2 for 3 with a solo home run to win the game's MVP Award. While the short stint causes no pain in his tired right arm, Richard plans to have Dr. Frank Jobe examine it while he’s in Los Angeles.
July 8, 1982, Oakland A’s manager Billy Martin notches his 1,000th career win, ironically enough against one of his former teams, a 6-3 win over the New York Yankees. Martin, who will lead the A’s to only 68 wins that year, will be fired after the season.
July 8, 1997 — The American League defeats the National by a score of 3 – 1 in the annual All-Star Game, played in Cleveland. Indians C Sandy Alomar Jr. hits a two-run home run and is named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Alomar is the first hometown player to homer since Hank Aaron in Atlanta in 1972.
Quote of the day:
“The guy didn’t run, so I thought there was one out,” John Valentin said after the game. “I looked up to see the board and realized there was nobody out. So, I tagged him.”
Milestones
Birthdays:Notable: Ken Sanders | Debuts:Notable: ARod |
Final Games:Highlights: Bill Doran | Passings:Notable: Red Rolfe |
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