They depend on a combination of two factors, which are themselves uncommon:
First, there must be at least twobaserunners, and no outs. From analysis of all MLB games from 2011 to 2013, only 1.51% ofat bats occur in such a scenario.[2] By comparison, 27.06% of at bats occur with at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs,[2] the scenario where adouble play is possible.
Second, activity must occur during the play that enables the defense to make three outs. Common plays, such as the batter striking out or hitting a fly ball, do not normally provide an opportunity for a triple play. A ball hit sharply and directly to aninfielder, who then takes very quick or unanticipated action, as well as confusion or mistakes by the baserunners, is usually needed.
Inbaseball scorekeeping, the abbreviationGITP can be used if the battergrounded into a triple play.[3]
The most likely scenario for a triple play is no outs with runners on first base and second base, which has been the case for the majority of MLB triple plays.[1] In that context, two examples of triple plays are:
The batter hits a ground ball to the third baseman, who steps on third base to force out the runner coming from second (first out). The third baseman throws to the second baseman, who steps on second base to force out the runner coming from first (second out). The second baseman throws to the first baseman, with the throw arriving in time to force out the batter (third out). This is an example of grounding into a 5-4-3 triple play, also known as an "around the horn" triple play, per standardbaseball positions.
During the 1973 season,Baltimore Orioles third basemanBrooks Robinson started two such 5-4-3 triple plays: one on July 7 against theOakland Athletics, and one on September 20 against theDetroit Tigers.[4][5] As a hitter, he is the all-time MLB leader for grounding into triple plays, with four in his career.[6][7]
On July 17, 1990, theMinnesota Twins became the first (and to date, the only) team in MLB history to turn two triple plays in the same game. Both were 5-4-3 triple plays, executed by fieldersGary Gaetti,Al Newman, andKent Hrbek in a game against theBoston Red Sox.[8][9]
The baserunners start running in an attempt tosteal or execute ahit and run play, and the batter hits a line drive to the second baseman, who catches it (first out). The second baseman throws to the shortstop, who steps on second base before the runner who started there cantag up (second out). The shortstop throws to the first baseman, who steps on first base before the runner who started there can tag up (third out). This is an example of lining out into a 4-6-3 triple play. Some triple plays can involve only two players. For example, if the pitcher catches a line drive (first out) then throws to the shortstop who steps on second base for a runner who fails to tag up (second out) and tags the runner from first before that runner can return to first (third out). This is a 1-6 triple play; similarly, instead of the shortstop, the play might involve the second baseman tagging second (second out) and the runner (third out), resulting in a 1-4 triple play. Note that, in either situation, the second and third outs can be reversed, e.g. the runner from first is tagged (second out), followed by second base being tagged (third out). A triple play can also involve only one defensive player. This is an unassisted triple play, described below.
The most recent triple play in MLB was turned by theLos Angeles Angels on August 12, 2025, against theLos Angeles Dodgers. In the 6th inning, with runners on first and second base,Shohei Ohtani hit a line drive back up the middle, where shortstopZach Neto was positioned just behind second base to catch it. He was then able to step on second beforeMiguel Rojas could return to the bag, and throw the ball to first basemanNolan Schanuel, who applied the tag onDalton Rushing as he attempted to return to first.
The rarest type of triple play, and one of the rarest events of any kind in baseball, is for a single fielder to complete all three outs in one play. There have only been 15 unassisted triple plays in MLB history,[10] making this feat rarer than aperfect game.[11]
Typically, an unassisted triple play is achieved when amiddle infielder catches a line drive near second base (first out), steps on the base before the runner who started there can tag up (second out), and then tags the runner advancing from first before he can return there (third out). Of the 15 unassisted triple plays in MLB history, 12 have been completed in this manner by a middle infielder.
The most recent MLB unassisted triple play is consistent with the above – it occurred on August 23, 2009, by second basemanEric Bruntlett of thePhiladelphia Phillies, in a game against theNew York Mets. In the bottom of the ninth inning with men on first and second base, the base runners were both running whenJeff Francoeur hit a line drive very close to second base, which Bruntlett was covering. Bruntlett caught the ball (first out), stepped on second base beforeLuis Castillo could tag up (second out), and then taggedDaniel Murphy who was approaching from first base (third out) to end the game.[12][13] This was only the second game-ending unassisted triple play in MLB history, the first one having occurred in 1927.[14]
Political columnist and baseball enthusiastGeorge Will posed one hypothetical way that a triple play could occur with no fielder touching the ball. With runners on first and second and no outs, the batter hits aninfield fly, and is automatically out: one out. The runner from first passes the runner from second and is called out for that infraction: two outs. Just after that, the falling ball hits the runner from second, who is called out for interference: three outs.[15]
Whenever a batter or runner is out without a fielder touching the ball, MLB rule book section 10.09 provides for automatic putouts to be assigned by the official scorer. In this case, the first out would be credited to whoever the official scorer believes would have had the best chance of catching the infield fly. The second and third outs would be credited to the fielder(s) closest to the points the runners were, when their respective outs occurred. Under the scenario described above, the same fielder (the shortstop, for example) could be credited with all three putouts, thus attaining an unassisted triple play without having touched the ball.
Joe Pignatano hit into a triple play in the final at bat of his career.
On September 30, 1962, in the eighth inning of the last game of the1962 Mets' 40–120 season, facing theChicago Cubs atWrigley Field,Joe Pignatano popped into a 4-3-6 triple play in his last MLB appearance. It was also the last game forSammy Drake andRichie Ashburn, the two runners who were tagged out. Pignatano is the only player to end his career by hitting into a triple play.[17][18][19]
TheNew York Yankees got caught in a bizarre 2-5-3-1 triple play while facing theMinnesota Twins on May 29, 1982.Roy Smalley struck out (first out), while both Yankees baserunners had taken off in an attempted double steal. The ball was thrown to third basemanGary Gaetti, who chased baserunnerBobby Murcer back to second, where Murcer was safe. Gaetti then threw the ball to first basemanKent Hrbek to tag baserunnerGraig Nettles who was caught between first and second (second out). Meanwhile, Murcer attempted to advance from second to third again. The ball was thrown from Hrbek to third base, where pitcherTerry Felton was covering, and Felton tagged Murcer (third out).[20][21][22]
On August 6, 2001,catcherScott Hatteberg of theBoston Red Sox lined out into a triple play completed byTexas Rangers shortstopAlex Rodriguez and second basemanRandy Velarde (the latter of whom completed an unassisted triple play the previous season). In his very next at-bat, Hatteberg proceeded to hit agrand slam, making him the only player to go from hitting into the best defensive play in baseball to making the best offensive play in baseball in consecutive at-bats.[23]
On April 14, 2002,designated hitterRon Wright of theSeattle Mariners grounded into a triple-play in the fourth inning of the only MLB game of Wright's career (against the Rangers). With runners on first (John Olerud) and third (Ruben Sierra), Wright grounded to pitcherKenny Rogers who threw to shortstopAlex Rodriguez to force Olerud at second (first out). Sierra, meanwhile, had broken late for home, and Rodriguez fired to catcherBill Haselman. Haselman threw to third basemanHank Blalock who threw to Rogers in the rundown; with Rogers tagging out Sierra (second out). Rogers then threw to second basemanMichael Young, who tagged out Wright trying to reach second (third out). The play was scored 1-6-2-5-1-4. (Wright's other plate appearances were a strikeout and grounding into adouble play, thus accounted for six outs in three MLB at-bats.)[24]
In a rare case of a triple play without the batter hitting the ball, a September 2, 2006, game between theSeattle Mariners and theTampa Bay Devil Rays resulted in three outs instigated from an attempt by the Mariners'Adrián Beltré to steal second base aftercleanup hitterRaúl Ibañez struck out againstJ. P. Howell. The Devil Rays' catcher,Dioner Navarro, saw the attempt and threw the ball to shortstopBen Zobrist, who tagged Beltré for the second out. Mariners' runnerJosé López, who had been at third base during this play, tried to take advantage of the situation and steal home, only for Zobrist to throw the ball back to Navarro who tagged López out. At the time, theSociety for American Baseball Research believed this to be the only 2-6-2 triple play in major-league history.[25][26][27]
On May 19, 2010, in a game between theWashington Nationals and theNew York Mets, with runners on first and second for the Nationals in the bottom of the fifth inning,Cristian Guzmán hit a blooper that was caught byÁngel Pagán just before it hit the ground (first out), before throwing the ball into the infield, where catcherHenry Blanco picked it up and threw it to shortstopJosé Reyes covering second base to force outLiván Hernández, who had advanced to third base (second out), before the ball was thrown to first basemanIke Davis to force outNyjer Morgan, who had advanced to second base (third out). The play was scored 8-2-6-3. Had Pagán run with the ball in to second base, he could have completed the firstunassisted triple play by an outfielder by stepping on the base to force out Hernández and tagging Morgan out.[28]
The Yankees also turned one of the more complicated triple plays in MLB history. On April 12, 2013, with runners on first and second in the top of the 8th inning, Baltimore batterManny Machado hit a sharp one-hopper to Yankees second basemanRobinson Canó. Canó fielded the ball and threw to shortstopJayson Nix, forcing baserunnerNick Markakis for the first out. Instead of going to first for a routine double play, Nix opted to throw to third basemanKevin Youkilis, catching baserunnerAlexi Casilla between second and third. Youkilis chased Casilla back towards second and threw to Nix, who returned the throw to Youkilis, who tagged Casilla for the second out. Youkilis then threw to first basemanLyle Overbay, catching Machado in a rundown between first and second. Overbay threw back to Canó, who tagged Machado sliding into second base for the third out. The play was scored 4-6-5-6-5-3-4.[29]
On May 9, 2015, with runners on second and third in the top of the 2nd inning,St. Louis Cardinals catcherYadier Molina hit a line drive that was caught byPittsburgh Pirates second basemanNeil Walker for the first out. Walker then threw to third basemanJung Ho Kang who stepped on third beforeJhonny Peralta could tag up, for the second out. Kang, after a moment's hesitation, then threw back to Walker who stepped on second beforeJason Heyward could tag up, for the third out. It was the first 4-5-4 triple play in MLB history.[30][31]
On April 22, 2016, in a game between theTexas Rangers andChicago White Sox, with the bases loaded in the top of the 7th inning,Mitch Moreland of the Rangers hit a line drive to right field that was caught byAdam Eaton for the first out. Eaton threw the ball to first basemanJosé Abreu, who tagged baserunnerIan Desmond after he overran first base into foul territory while attempting to tag up, for the second out. Abreu then threw the ball to catcherDioner Navarro at home.Adrián Beltré, the runner on second base, had tagged up earlier in the play and had started advancing to third; however,Prince Fielder, the runner on third base, was still at third. Navarro threw to shortstopTyler Saladino, making Beltré continue his run towards third, which in turn made Fielder start to run towards home. Fielder was then caught in a rundown; Saladino threw to Navarro, who then threw to third basemanTodd Frazier, who tagged Fielder for the third out. The play was scored 9-3-2-6-2-5.[32][33]
On July 29, 2016, in a game between theWashington Nationals and theSan Francisco Giants, the Giants loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the 8th inning.Brandon Crawford hit a line drive that was caught by Nationals' first basemanRyan Zimmerman for the first out. Zimmerman then touched first base beforeBuster Posey could tag up, for the second out. Zimmerman then threw to third basemanAnthony Rendon, who stepped on third beforeDenard Span could tag up, for the third out. It was the first 3-3-5 triple play in MLB history.[34]
On August 16, 2018, in a game between theLos Angeles Angels and theTexas Rangers, the Angels loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the 4th inning.David Fletcher hit a grounder that was fielded by Rangers' third basemanJurickson Profar, who had knocked down the ball with his body prior to picking it up. Profar stepped on third base toforce outEric Young Jr. for the first out, then tagged outTaylor Ward at third base (who remained at third believing Profar had caught a line drive) once Ward fell off the bag for the second out, before throwing to second basemanRougned Odor, who stepped on second to force outKole Calhoun for the third out, leaving Fletcher stranded at first. The play, scored a 5-5-4fielder's choice, was the first 5-5-4 triple play of any kind sinceSt. Louis Browns third basemanOwen Friend and second basemanSnuffy Stirnweiss turned the feat in 1950, and the first triple play fielder's choice (tonot retire the batter) in thelive-ball era of MLB (the most recent previous such triple play was in 1912, when theBrooklyn Dodgers turned the feat against theCincinnati Reds).[35][26]
On June 17, 2021, theNew York Yankees turned the first 1-3-6-2-5-6 triple play in major league history, against theToronto Blue Jays atSahlen Field inBuffalo, New York.[36] In the bottom of the first inning with first base open,Bo Bichette on second,Marcus Semien on third, and Yankees starterMichael King pitching and facingVladimir Guerrero Jr. at the plate, Guerrero hit a ground ball to the third base side that was fielded by King. King threw the ball to first basemanDJ LeMahieu for the first out. During that fielding, Bichette had begun to run to third, forcing Semien to proceed to home plate. LeMahieu noticed that both Semien and Bichette were near the third base bag and threw the ball to shortstopGleyber Torres, who promptly threw the ball to catcherGary Sanchez, catching Semien in a rundown between third and home. Sanchez chased Semien back to third and threw the ball to third basemanGio Urshela, who applied the tag to Semien for the second out. Urshela turned around and threw to Torres to tag out Bichette sliding into third for the final out of the inning, which was challenged by the Blue Jays, but stood as a triple play.[36]
OnJuly 4, 2022, theMinnesota Twins turned the first known 8-5 triple play in MLB history, in a game against theChicago White Sox. In the bottom of the seventh inning, withYoán Moncada on first andAdam Engel on second,A. J. Pollock hit a deep fly ball to center, in what apparently would be an extra-base hit. However, center fielderByron Buxton caught the ball, making Pollock the first out, while both Moncada and Engel attempted to advance without tagging up. Buxton threw the ball in to third basemenGio Urshela between second and third. Urshela tagged out Moncada, who had already advanced past second and was attempting to return, for the second out, then stepped on second base to make Engel, who had advanced to third base, the final out.[37]
On June 25, 2024, thePhiladelphia Phillies turned a triple play in the third inning of their 8–1 win over theDetroit Tigers atComerica Park, which marked the first successful triple play of the 2024 season, the first triple play the Phillies had turned since 2017, and the first 1-3-5 triple play in the major leagues since 1929.[38]
On September 24, 2024, theSan Diego Padres turned a 5-4-3 triple play in the bottom of the ninth inning to end the ballgame, securing a 4–2 win over theLos Angeles Dodgers atDodger Stadium. This was the first instance in major-league history of a team executing a game-ending triple play whilst clinching a postseason berth.[39]
On April 25, 2025, Mets hitterJesse Winker hit a line drive that appeared to be caught by Nationals first basemanNathaniel Lowe, who threw to shortstopCJ Abrams for the second out, and then Abrams threw to Lowe at first base to complete the triple play, which was initially ruled as a 3-6-3 triple play but changed to a 3-6 triple play. Replays showed that the line drive actually hit the ground before settling in Lowe's glove, butinstant replay in Major League Baseball cannot be used on line drives in the infield, so the play stood as ruled as a triple play.[40]
† This triple play, by theNew York Giants against theProvidence Grays during the1885 season, was scored as 4*-4*-3*,[1] with a newspaper account the next day naming the fielders, batter, and runners at first and second;[41] however, it is unknown if there was a runner at third base.
Asterisks (*) denote which players recorded outs, per standardbaseball positions. Combinations that have occurred at least 10 times are listed individually.
On June 27, 1967, theNew York Mets andPittsburgh Pirates staged a triple play before their game atShea Stadium for the filmThe Odd Couple.[42] The scene depictsBill Mazeroski of the Pirates grounding into a game-ending 5-4-3 triple play.[43][44] Mazeroski, who played 17 major league seasons, was involved in only one actual MLB triple play; he was the runner on second base when theChicago Cubs turned a 3-3-6 triple play on October 3, 1965.[1][45]
^"Padres turn triple play to clinch playoff spot with 4-2 win over Dodgers".NBC Sports.AP. September 25, 2024. RetrievedSeptember 25, 2024.The only other teams to turn a triple play on the same day they clinched a postseason berth were the 2020 Milwaukee Brewers, and the Chicago Cubs in 1910 and 1907, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. San Diego's was the first of those to end the game.
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