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Triple play highlights A's win
By Jerry Feitelberg April 22, 2010 |
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One of the rarest of plays in baseball is the triple play, they happen very infrequently, most people have never seen a triple play in person. The triple play can be unassisted or can involve more than one player. Randy Velarde performed an unassisted triple play about 10 years ago when the A’s were playing the Yankees in New York City. There were men on first and second with no outs when Velarde caught a sharply hit line drive for one out then stepped on second base for the second out and then tagged the runner coming from first base out as he approached second base. The play happened so fast that the fans were stunned until they realized what they had just seen. Today’s game again pitted the Yankees against the A’s, the game was being played in Oakland. The A’s were at bat in the bottom of the 6th inning, there were no outs and men were on first and second base. The batter was Kurt Suzuki , the A’s catcher. Suzuki had hit a 3 run homer earlier in the game off C.C. Sabathia, the Yankee ace pitcher. Sabathia threw the pitch and Suzuki hit a rifle shot down the 3rd base line it looked like it would be a base hit or possibly a double. The Yankee third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, moved swiftly to his right and snared the ball then stepped on third base, out number one, twirled and threw to the second baseman, Robinson Cano, for the second out. Cano relayed the ball to the first baseman to complete the triple play. For many of the fans, it was the first time that anyone had ever seen a triple play. Bob Geren, the A’s Manager , said that he was “hoping that the ball would be a double and after he saw A-Rod backhand the ball he knew that there was a possibility of a triple play, however, since Kurt Suzuki runs well Geren didn’t think it would occur.” In the locker room, after the game, Kurt Suzuki talked about hitting the 3 run homer in the first inning and stated it will be shown on TV tonight, he also stated that the triple play will be on TV “forever”. Asked what Suzuki was thinking as he ran down the first base line after hitting the ball, he replied “Uh-oh”. Suzuki, later said that this was the first time in his baseball career that he was part of a triple play. A reporter asked Kurt “15 or 20 years from now what will you remember about this game?” With a big grin on his face Suzuki’s answer was “the triple play.” |
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