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The New York Yankees have made a total of six triple plays in their history. The most recent one came on August 5, 2017 against the Baltimore Orioles.
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Introduction
In baseball, a triple play (abbreviated TP) is the rare act of completing three outs in one continuous play. A triple play may be accomplished by several methods meant to take advantage of various situations that may arise during gameplay. The most common and straightforward form of a triple play occurs when there are runners on first and second base with less than two outs, and the batter hits a ball towards the infield which is fielded by an infielder, who then steps on second base to force out the batter-runner, followed by throwing to another infielder at first base to force out the lead runner, for a total of three outs in one play.
What is a Triple Play?
In baseball, a triple play is the rarest play. It’s when the defense gets three outs in one play. The triple play can only happen when there are runners on first and second base and the batter hits the ball. The defense then tries to get the runner out at first, the runner out at second, and the batter out at first.
A Brief History of the Triple Play
In baseball, a triple play (TP) is the rarest possible play. It consists of putting out three batters on the same play, a feat only accomplishable if there are at least two baserunners. According to Retrosheet, in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), there have been 157 triple plays from 1876 to 2019. The most recent one occurred on September 5, 2019, when the Toronto Blue Jays turned a 5-4-3 triple play against the Baltimore Orioles.
While 157 may seem like a lot, it really isn’t when you consider that there have been more than 190,000 games played in MLB history. That means that the odds of seeing a triple play in any given game are less than 1 in 1,200. In other words, you’re more likely to be struck by lightning (odds of 1 in 12,000) than to see a triple play.
The very first triple play in MLB history was turned by the Brooklyn Atlantics on August 19, 1876. It was also the only triple play during that entire season. Out of the 157 total triple plays in MLB history, the New York Yankees have been involved in 26 of them, which is the most of any team. The Pittsburgh Pirates are second with 17, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are third with 16.
Interestingly, all but one of the 26 triple plays involving the Yankees have been turned by the teammates (the other one was turned by their opponents). The most recent Yankee Triple Play came on April 21, 2017 against Minnesota Twins. It was a 5-4-3 around-the-hornTP started by second baseman Starlin Castro and finished by catcher Gary Sanchez .
Types of Triple Plays
A triple play is a rare feat in baseball. It’s when the defense gets three outs in a single play. There are a few different ways it can happen, but typically, it involves the defense getting three outs on consecutive batted balls. For example, one batter hits a fly ball to the outfield, and the outfielder catches it for the first out. Then, he throws the ball in to second base to double up the runner who was on first base. The second baseman then throws it to the first baseman to tag out the batter-runner coming down to first base. That’s a triple play!
The Yankees have been involved in 15 triple plays in their history. The most recent one came on August 16, 2009 against the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles had runners on first and second base with one out when Nick Markakis hit a line drive to Robinson Cano at second base. Cano caught the ball and stepped on second base to double up Brian Roberts. He then threw the ball to Jorge Posada at home plate who tagged out Matt Wieters trying to score from third base. That completed the triple play!
How Many Triple Plays Have the Yankees Made?
The Yankees have made 7 triple plays in their history. The most recent one was on August 5, 2019 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees’ Triple Play Record
The Yankees have made 71 triple plays in their franchise history, the most in MLB. They’ve made 17 more than the second-place Red Sox, who have 54. The Yankees’ first triple play came on June 4, 1912, against the Washington Senators. The most recent came on August 5, 2011, against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Triple Plays in the Yankees’ Division
In baseball, a triple play is rare enough. But what’s even more unusual is when one team hits into two triple plays in the same game. That’s exactly what happened to the New York Yankees on September 20, 2007, against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the first time in major league history that a team had hit into two triple plays in the same game.
The first came in the bottom of the third inning. With Johnny Damon on first and Robinson Cano on second and one out, Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit a hard grounder to Jays’ shortstop John McDonald. McDonald stepped on second to force Cano, then threw to first baseman Lyle Overbay to force Damon for the double play.
The second came in the bottom of the eighth inning. With Hideki Matsui on first and Wilson Betemit on second and one out, Yankees’ catcher Jose Molina hit a grounder to McDonald at short. Again, McDonald stepped on second base to force Betemit, then threw to first baseman Overbay to complete the triple play by getting Molina.
The Yankees went on to win the game 5-3.
Conclusion
In short, the answer is nine. The Yankees have made nine triple plays in their franchise history.
