The Minnesota Twins pulled off a historic triple play on Monday – one that aptly summed up the misery their opponents, the Chicago White Sox, have experienced this season.
In the bottom of the seventh inning and the game tied 2-2, Chicago had runners on first (Yoan Moncada) and second (Adam Engel) with nobody out as AJ Pollock came to the plate. Pollock took control of the pitch and lined it to right-center field, with the hit looking like at least extra bases, but Byron Buxton overcame it and made an excellent catch against the wall.
However, the runners did not seem to think the catch was possible as both took off immediately at the crack of the bat and did not stop. Consequently, when the catch was made, Engel was behind third and Moncada was not far behind him.
Buxton then threw the ball to Gio Urschella, who tagged out Moncada as he tried to escape to first, then stepped on second to throw out Engel. Triple play.
And not just any triple play – an 8-5 triple play, the first of its kind in MLB history.
It was an impressive hit and throw on Buxton’s part, but the play was certainly more sloppy on the White Sox side than it was good on the Twins side. Neither Engel nor Moncada had the foresight to think the ball could be caught or that Minnesota had one of the most athletic center fielders in the league. As a result, they were both out of position and had no chance to get home.
It’s just another in a long list of struggles for the White Sox, who have struggled to a 38-40 record under Tony La Russa despite starting the season as World Series contenders. La Russa has been under the microscope for his managerial performance, with another notable incident when he decided to intentionally walk Dodgers star Trea Turner with two strikes in the count.
Tony La Russa Getty Images
The White Sox lost Monday’s game in extra innings, 6-3, falling 5.5 games behind the Twins in the AL Central standings. They are four games back of the Rays for the third wild card spot.
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