Every time you go to the playground you can see something you’ve never seen before. Such was the case Monday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, where fans saw the first 8-5 triple play (center fielder to third baseman) in Major League Baseball history. The Minnesota Twins turned a first-of-its-kind triple play against the home Chicago White Sox into an eventual 6-3 victory, although it would be more accurate to say the White Sox ran into a triple play.
AJ Pollock lifted a well-struck fly ball with no outs and runners on first and second to Byron Buxton in center field, and Yoan Moncada and Adam Engel both had a bit of a mental lapse on base after the catch. Here’s the video.
It’s a confusing game, so here’s the breakdown: Buxton’s catch is first. The second out is Gio Urshela tagging out Moncada, who was the runner on first base when the play started. The third out is Urshela who gets on second base and doubles off Engel. Engel was well out of bounds and somewhere near home plate at the time.
While the triple play is the main one, you should take a moment to appreciate Buxton’s catch. It was not an easy game. Statcast says Pollock’s drive had an 82 percent hit probability based on launch angle and exit velocity. Buxton is just that good in center field. Engel said he thought the ball wasn’t caught, which is why he sped toward home.
“When he looked toward the wall, I thought he was looking for the ball to drop,” Engel told MLB.com. “I just made a bad play. I made a mistake. Bad luck. That probably cost us a couple of runs and probably would have won the game.”
MLB.com and the SABR database confirm that it is indeed the first 8-5 triple play in baseball history. By my unofficial count, this is the 27th triple play started by a center fielder, and the first since former New York Mets center fielder Angel Pagan started an 8-2-6-3 triple play with a scoreless catch against the Washington Nationals in 2010.
The Twins have made a habit of turning triple plays over the past few years. Monday was their fourth since 2019. No team has more. Meanwhile, the White Sox have reached back-to-back triple plays after failing to complete one from 2011-20.
This is the third triple play this season. The Texas Rangers turned a 3-6 triple play against the Seattle Mariners on April 20, and the Nationals turned a 5-4-3 triple play against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 20.
