The Philadelphia Phillies hosted the Detroit Tigers for an intra-league matchup starting Monday night. It was yet another dominant performance by Philadelphia, who won 8-1 and has outscored opponents 24-3 during their three-game winning streak.
However, things could have turned out much differently had it not been for a very rare play in the third inning. With men on first and third, the Detroit Tigers were threatening to cut into the 4-0 deficit they were facing.
Zack McKinstry and Carson Kelly hit back-to-back singles to get the rally going. That put Matt Vierling in a position to get his team back into the game. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
Instead of cutting the deficit, Veirling became part of a very rare occurrence. He hit a broken bat looper back to pitcher Aaron Nola, who threw to Bryce Harper to double off Kelly, who was stuck in no-man’s land.
Over at third base, McKinstry bolted for home. He never seemed to realize that the ball was a line drive and not a grounder. As a result, Harper threw the ball over to third baseman Alec Bohm, who stepped on the base for an unconventional triple play.
“I don’t know if it was the bat breaking, but [McKinstry] definitely thought the ball hit the ground,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “He held up until Nola threw to first, and then he was sprinting home. He just misread the play.”
That resulted in a 1-3-5 triple play being recorded. Triple plays are rare enough, but that order of the ball being thrown around hasn’t happened in nearly 100 years. The last occurrence was July 11th, 1929 when the Tigers turned a 1-3-5 triple play against the Boston Red Sox.
“That was a pretty cool moment for all of us,” Harper said. “It was like going back to Little League, we were so excited.”
While the Philadelphia Phillies players were excited about the play, the Detroit Tigers players involved certainly felt the opposite. Not only will they be on a highlight reel for a while, but it played a big part in losing another game.
They will be back at it on Tuesday night with the first pitch scheduled for 6:40. That is Game 2 of a three-game set and a pitcher’s duel could be on deck. Ranger Suarez will be taking the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies against Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.
Do you want the latest news, updates, and rumors surrounding all sports? Click here. Make sure to check out our sister sites as well: NFL Analysis Network, NBA Analysis Network, Packers Coverage.
