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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STRIKES OUT ...
John Valentin pulls of an unassisted triple play
July 8, 1994
...
Red Sox shortstop John Valentin entered the history books by pulling
off the baseball rarity in the sixth inning on July 8th. With runners
going from first and second, he snared Seattle DH Marc Newfield's
liner, stepped on second to force Mike Blowers and trotted a few
steps to tag the runner (Keith Mitchell) coming from first. It was
the 11th time in major league history an unassisted triple play had
occurred. In the bottom half, the Sox unloaded
their first three-homer inning in nearly a decade, triggered by none other than
Valentin, as they overtook the Mariners, 4-3, in one of the most memorable games
you'd ever see at Fenway Park.
Valentin's historic achievement
also served as the catalyst for the Sox' comeback, which came at the expense of
Mariners starter Dave Fleming and reliever Bill Risley in the bottom of the
sixth.
Proving he's not a
one-dimensional hero, Valentin led off with a homer, and Tom Brunansky (two-run
shot) and Rich Rowland also went deep. The Sox hadn't hit three homers in an
inning since Sept. 18, 1984, when Dwight Evans, Tony Armas and Mike Easler
struck against Toronto's Jim Gott.
The drama wasn't over. In the
top of the ninth, starter Chris Nabholz surrendered a homer to Blowers that made
it a one-run game and brought on Ken Ryan.
Then some other defensive
heroes emerged. Third baseman Scott Cooper dived to his left on Mitchell's
grounder and made a hard throw that Tim Naehring picked at first. Center fielder
Lee Tinsley then made a diving catch to rob Newfield. Finally, Ryan surrendered
a shot to right by pinch hitter Reggie Jefferson that seemed destined for the
Boston bullpen to tie the game. But right fielder Wes Chamberlain, leaping at
the same time as Tinsley, reached over the fence, grabbed the shot and preserved
the win.
Precious few have seen anything
like Valentin's effort, the first unassisted triple play since Philadelphia
second baseman Mickey Morandini accomplished the feat on Sept. 20, 1992. It was
the first for the Sox since 1923, when first baseman George Burns turned the
trick against the Cleveland Indians. And it was the Sox' first triple play of
any kind since July 28, 1979, when Jack Brohamer, Bob Watson and Hobson teamed
up.
Lost amid the histrionics was a
solid effort by Nabholz, making his second start since being acquired from
Cleveland last weekend in the Jeff Russell trade. In eight-plus innings, he
allowed eight hits, though he looked like a loser when Ken Griffey tripled in a
run in the third and Felix Fermin's fifth-inning single made it 2-0, bringing
home Bill Haselman, who had reached on Valentin's throwing error. |
