8 3 5 triple play baseball meaning is an act of getting three outs in a single play. Braves achieved its first triple play on 25th July 2023 against Red Sox.
It is one of the rare feet to be achieved in baseball which includes the three players center fielder (8), the first baseman (3), and the third baseman (5).
It happens when the center fielder throws a ball to the first baseman to make baserunners out followed by the throw to the third baseman to get the runners advancing to third base from second out in one play.
This record was last achieved in 1884 and is counted as a once-in 139-year happenings during the game in Major League Baseball.
The first team to claim this feat is the 1884 Boston Beaneaters against the Providence Grays. Beaneaters are now the Braves franchise.
The triple play achieved during the third inning against the Red Sox marks the first 8 3 5 triple play in the 2023 season.
Unlike this feat, other triple plays including 5-4-3 triple play, and 4-6-3 triple play have also been achieved in the Major League.
What Is An 8 3 5 Triple Play In Baseball?
835 triple play in baseball is one of the rare events involving a center fielder, first baseman, and third baseman making three outs in one play.
When a batter strikes a ball hard to the center field, the center fielder throws the ball toward the first base first tags out the runners, followed by the throw to the third baseman by the first to tag out when the base runners are in between the second and third base to advance to third ones.
The center fielder position number is 8, first base 3, and third base 5, which is combinedly called the 8-3-5 triple play.
It is a once-in 139-year happening as the latest game to record this play is the Braves - Red Sox game, where the Braves were defeated by a 7-1 score by the Red Sox.
Triple play usually occurs when the defending team carries out three outs in a single play which is rare as the batting team should have at least two players with nobody out. Secondly, the baserunners should have to make the blunder in the situations when running.
Braves 8 3 5 Triple Play
Atlanta Braves Triple Play 2023 occurred during the 7-1 defeat against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on 25th July 2023.
The magical moment occured during the third inning between the Braves and the Red Sox in an MLB game where the triple play was turned on in the bottom half in the inning.
Morton from the Braves was the pitcher when the rarest feat was achieved. During the bottom half inning, Triston Cases hits a ball by Morton to the center field area where center fielder Michael Harris (8) of Braves sprinted to catch a shallow fly by the batter and then threw it directly towards the first baseman Matt Olson (3) which catches Adam Duvall in the first base.
Duvall thought the ball wouldn't be caught and had advanced nearly to the second base allowing Harris to throw towards the first base where Olson was there.
Meanwhile, Yoshida tried to advance towards the third base, but Olson instinctively fired the ball across the diamond to the third baseman Austin Riley (5), who tagged out Masataka Yoshida while advancing to third base. Yoshida was several steps away from Riley when the throw arrived from the first base.
Achieveing a triple play, it was counted as the second 8-3-5 triple play in history, after the first one occurred in 1884 by Boston Beaneaters. It is the first to be achieved in the 2023 season.
After the win, Duvall shared about the incident to The Guardian, saying his instincts told him that he was reading the outfielder and his goal was to get to second if it drops in front of him.
He also added that he went too far, and the outfielder made an excellent throwback.
How Rare Is A Triple Play In Baseball?
Triple play in baseball is very rare to achieve as it just averages just over five per season since 1876.
Since 1876, there have only been 734 triple plays in Major League Baseball, as two conditions need to be met for triple play to get occurred. They are as follows:
First, two baserunners must at least be there, and no outs, which are rare as only 1.51% of at-bats occurred from 2011 to 2013. At least one baserunner and less than two outs can create a chance for a double play rather than a triple.
Secondly, situations must occur to enable the defense to make three outs as batters rarely give chances to the defense team for a triple play.
Miscommunications between the base runners or mistakes by the runners can also create a chance for triple play.
Unlike 8-3-5, other forms of triple plays also occur in the games in MLB. On 4th July 2022, the Minnesota Twins had their first known 8-5 triple play in MLB history against Chicago White Sox.
It occurred in the seventh inning when center fielder Byron Buxton caught the ball, making Pollock first out, and threw to third baseman Gio Urshela between second and third, while Moncada and Engel attempted to advance without tagging up.
Urshel tagged out Moncada for the second and then stepped on 2nd base to make Engel out, who tried to advance to third base.
Unassisted Triple Play
World Series unassisted triple play is achieved by only one player, Cleveland second baseman Bill Wambsganns on 10th October 1920.
It was during Game 5 of the 1920 World Series in a game between Cleveland and Brooklyn Robins ( later Dodger) during the fifth inning.
In the fifth inning, Reliver Clarence Mitchell threw straight to the Wambsganss at the second base, where he made a great catch and stepped on second, tagging the runner advancing towards him from the first base.
It was the first Fall fall classic match where Cleveland's Elmer Smith smashed the first grand slam recorded in the match. Later the game ended in a tie with a 2-2 score.
Another unassisted triple play recorded was the John Valentin unassisted triple play from the game on 8th July 1994. His unassisted triple play helped his team win the game against the Mariners.
It was the second game of four-game series between the Red Sox and the Mariners at Fenway Park, which was resumed after a rain delay of an hour.
During the sixth inning, Marc Newfield struck a hard-line drive that was caught by Valentin. He casually stepped on the second to double off Mike Blowers.
Then, Valentin transferred and threw the ball from his bare hand, which reached out and tagged Mitchell on the shoulder after Mitchell ran toward the second base. With the outs, John Valentin completed the 10th unassisted triple play in Major League history.
