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From: mlt@mb2c.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Unassisted triple play WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BALL
Message-ID: <177@mb2c.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 13-Jun-85 12:56:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: mb2c.177
Posted: Thu Jun 13 12:56:15 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Jun-85 05:13:37 EDT
Organization: Michigan Bell, Southfield, MI
Lines: 33

>
>............. How can a fielder be credited with an
>unassisted triple play WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BALL?
  
Try this one on:
  
Bases loaded, no outs ( of course ).  The team at bat decides to try the 
suicide squeeze.  On the pitch, all runners break.  The ball is bunted into
the air, down the third base line.  The batter interferes with the catcher,
who is trying to catch the ball - one out, putout credited to the catcher,
who was the closest fielder.  Meanwhile, for some unknown reason, the runner
is coming down the line in fair territory, and gets hit with the ball.  Two
outs, and the putout is again credited to the catcher, who was the closest
fielder.  The ball then rolls into the infield.  The runners from first and second are now rounding third, one after the other ( this must be K.C., with 
Balboni coming from second and Wilson running for someone on first (-:  ).
The pitcher ( or whoever ) picks up the ball and throws wild to the plate.
Both runners are coming for home, but just before Balboni crosses home, he 
trips and falls ( the klutz ), and Wilson jumps over him and touches the 
plate.  Since Wilson passed Balboni in the baseline and touched home, he is
out, and the putout is credited to - you guessed it - the catcher, who was
the closest fielder.  An unassisted triple play, and he never touched the 
ball.  This is assuming that the play is still alive after the runner was 
hit in fair territory.
I suppose this could also happen on a high popup near third - you could have
an interference call, a runner passing another on the basepaths, and a 
runner hit in fair territory all on the same play, with one guy getting credit
for all three putouts.  There are probably many other scenarios, but I think
the one I described sounds the most likely.
I would *LOVE* to see this happen.
  
Mark Tompkins
epsilon!mb2c!mlt