At the end of the day, it wasn’t a thing of beauty, but it didn’t have to be. The Pittsburgh Pirates consummated a rare triple play against the St. Louis Cardinals and they did it in a way no team ever has in the centuries-old history over Major League baseball.
Force is strong in sky Walker. Triple play! pic.twitter.com/TQkdI7oLpe
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) May 10, 2015
Neil Walker snagged a line drive from Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, fired the ball to Jung Ho Kang at third, stepping on the bag for the second out on Peralta, who had led off the inning with a walk. Kang holds the ball a moment before coming to the realization that he had another out on hand with Heyward just walking the base path, so he tossed the ball back to Walker for the third out.
Triple Play Alert!
The Pirates execute the FIRST 4-5-4 triple play in @MLB history. #ChallengeAllGivenshttps://t.co/SFWPAC4C3q
— Stadium (@Stadium) May 10, 2015
It’s fun, but doesn’t look spectacular enough to be so rare as to have never happened before. The Pirates would win the game 7-5 with a sixth-inning three-run rally.
Your run of the mill 4-5-4 triple play, no big deal.
— Nate Barnes (@NateBarnes_) May 9, 2015