[net.sport.baseball] Unassisted triple play WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BALL

mlt@mb2c.UUCP (06/13/85)

>
>............. 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
  

man@bocar.UUCP (M Nevar) (06/18/85)

>>............. How can a fielder be credited with an
>>unassisted triple play WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BALL?
>  
>Try this one on:
>  
>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 

I always thought that after a runner was hit with a batted ball, the runner
was out, the batter was credited with a single, and the ball was ruled DEAD,
play OVER.

That way the third out cannot be attempted.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Mark Nevar

ogre@mhuxl.UUCP (LO COCO) (06/19/85)

> >............. How can a fielder be credited with an
> >unassisted triple play WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BALL?

> Mark Tompkins writes:
> Try this one on:
>   
> ...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.  
	I believe the play would be dead after the interference.
> 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 play is definitely dead after the ball hits the runner.
	Nice try though and I'm still awaiting the right answer if there is one.
-- 
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				John B. Lo Coco
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				1-201-467-7436

bd@peora.UUCP (Bernie Dougan) (06/19/85)

> >
> >............. 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
> ...

I think that once it has been determined that the batter interfered with
the catcher (even if that was not decided until after the play), the ball
is dead at that point, the runners must return to their base, and one
out is credited.  If this is wrong, please correct it.

>   
> Mark Tompkins
> epsilon!mb2c!mlt
>   

-- 
     Bernie Dougan
     Perkin-Elmer Southern Development Center
     2486 Sand Lake Road
     Orlando, Florida 32809
     (305)850-1040
     {decvax!ucf-cs, ihnp4!pesnta, vax135!petsd}!peora!bd

gadfly@ihu1m.UUCP (Gadfly) (06/24/85)

--
> > >............. How can a fielder be credited with an
> > >unassisted triple play WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BALL?

Try this scenario on for size:

Runners on 1st and 2nd, none out (obviously).  Both runners
break on the pitch, and the batter hits a towering pop
fly to the left side of the infield.  The ump calls the infield
fly rule, but as we all know, runners may advance at their
peril, and so they do.  The runner from first, however, passes
the runner from second (who got his signals crossed and held
up just a few feet off the bag), and as he (the guy who had been
on 1st) gets half-way between 2nd and 3rd, the ball on its way down
hits him!  The shortstop, who never got a chance to catch the thing,
is thence credited with all 3 outs--the infield fly, the passed runner,
and the bonked runner.

Now, somebody *PLEASE* tell me (this machine's netnews has been badly
hosed up recently) how a batter can get 5 RBI's on 1 swing (or was it
1 up?).  I missed that entire discussion, but am available for
enlightenment at the address below.  Thanks.
-- 
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halle@hou2b.UUCP (J.HALLE) (06/24/85)

How about this?  Bases loaded, everyone running.
The runner on third falls just off the bag.  The runner on second, a real
speedster, passes the fallen runner before he can get up, a putout for the
third baseman.  Meanwhile, even though the bouncer to third is slow, the
runner on first and the batter are slower.  The runner on third realizes that
if he doesn't do something, a double play is certain, so he gets up un such
a manner as to be deliberately hit with the ball.  The second putout for the
third baseman.  But the ump rules that the runner deliberately interfered
to break up the double play, and so rules the batter out.  The third putout.

rs2@houxu.UUCP (R.SWITZER) (06/25/85)

<>
Here's one that I am pretty certain fits the bill:
Bases loaded, no outs (of course).  Batter hits a high pop-up
and the umpire rules an infield fly, 1 out.  The runner on third
stays on the bag while the runners on 1st and 2nd start running.
The runner on 2nd sees the runner on third did not move, stops
and gets passed by the runner from 1st, runner from 1st is out,
2 outs.  Finally as the runner from 2nd is going back to the bag
he gets hit by the falling ball while not standing on base.
3 outs and no defensive player touched the ball.

Enjoy,
Bob Switzer