Chicago White Sox turn their third triple play of 2016 season
By Tim Haberin
The Chicago White Sox completed their third triple play of the season on Friday, becoming the first team to do so since 1979.
A triple play is among the rarer feats in the game of baseball. Typically a handful occur each season, but you certainly don’t see one happen every day. This year’s Chicago White Sox, however, are making the triple-killing somewhat of a habit.
In last night’s game against the Atlanta Braves at U.S. Cellular Field, the Sox turned a triple play in the third inning. It began with rookie shortstop Tim Anderson fielding a line drive off the bat of Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman. Base runner Chase d’Arnaud, believing the ball was caught, returned to second base. Anderson tagged him for the first out, put his foot on the bag for the force at second, and then proceeded to throw to first to complete the trifecta.
It was the third triple play Chicago has pulled off this year. Initially there was some confusion about the last time it had been done. The White Sox tweeted that they were the first since the 1965 Cubs to complete three triple plays in a season, but Christopher Kamka of CSN Chicago discovered that it had been accomplished by the 1979 Red Sox and A’s after combing through SABR’s database. That year featured a whopping total of 11 triple plays.
The ChiSox’s first triple play of 2016 came on April 22 against the Rangers under rather strange circumstances. It’s hard to even describe, so just watch. You score that one 9-3-2-6-2-5.
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The second occurred on May 18, with third baseman Todd Frazier starting an around-the-horn triple play on a grounder hit by Astros outfielder George Springer.
Unfortunately for White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale, Friday night’s infield spectacle wasn’t enough to help him through an otherwise tough outing. He uncharacteristically struggled, allowing eight runs on ten hits and two walks in five innings. Chicago fell by a score of 11-8, denying Sale his league-leading 15th win of the season and raising his ERA from 2.92 to 3.38.
Nevertheless, the triple play highlights the multiple ways Anderson has shown off his abilities since making his big league debut on June 10. Aside from demonstrating a slick glove in the field, the 23-year-old top prospect has also acquitted himself fairly well at the plate, slashing .291/.297/.487 with 14 extra base hits (nine doubles, a triple and four home runs) and 10 RBI in 26 games.
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The White Sox remain 3.5 games out of the second AL Wild Card spot, so they will hope to get a few more good breaks like this to help themselves stay in the race.
Can’t get enough triple play history? Be sure to check out SABR’s triple play database recording every instance dating back to 1876.