Writing '3-6-2' on the scorecard isn't enough to capture the weirdness of this Mariners triple play

Mariners turn bizarre 3-6-2 triple play

By Gemma Kaneko

July 26, 2015

According to SABR, the last 3-6-2 triple play happened on May 14, 2000. It's been so long that the last time it happened, Montreal still had a baseball team. In fact, they were the ones turning it:

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The Expos' version was expedient and lovely, while the Mariners' Sunday rendition was … not that.

Blue Jays runners Kevin Pillar and Ezequiel Carrera were on the corners when Ryan Goins grounded out to first. One down, two more to go. Hang on tight, because this next part is a little bumpy.

After Goins was called out, Seattle first baseman Mark Trumbo threw the ball to shortstop Brad Miller. Miller chased after Pillar, getting him stuck between first and second base. Carrera took off for home. But then Miller changed direction and tossed to catcher Mike Zunino, who chased Carrera back to third just as Pillar, who thought he'd been spared, was coasting in as well.

Pillar was the second runner to arrive, so Zunino tagged the bag to get him out. That's two out of three. But Carrera was safe, right?

Well, he was until he got startled by the ghost of the run he could have scored and fell off the bag, allowing Zunino to tag him for the final out:

finaltag

That's three out of three, folks. Write it on your scorecard and bemoan the fact that numbers alone can never convey the sheer weirdness of this play. Zunino talked to MLB.com's Andrew Erickson after the game:

"In that situation, you're told to tag both guys and let the umpire tell you who's out," the catcher said. "It just sort of happened, and luckily I saw it enough to just keep the tag on [Carrera]. It was a big momentum change and helped Taijuan [Walker's] pitch count."

And if you're of the contingent that believes this was a 3-6-2-2 triple play, it's the first since 1955. Either way, there will probably never, ever be another quite like this.