In baseball or softball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 741 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season.
They depend on a combination of two factors, which are themselves uncommon:
First, there must be at least two baserunners, and no outs. From analysis of all MLB games from 2011 to 2013, only 1.51% of at bats occur in such a scenario. By comparison, 27.06% of at bats occur with at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs, the scenario where a double play is possible. Second, activity must occur during the play that enables the defense to make three outs. Common plays, such as the batter striking out or hitting a fly ball, do not normally provide an opportunity for a triple play. A ball hit sharply and directly to an infielder, who then takes very quick or unanticipated action, as well as confusion or mistakes by the baserunners, is usually needed.
In baseball scorekeeping, the abbreviation GITP can be used if the batter grounded into a triple play.
Examples The most likely scenario for a triple play is no outs with runners on first base and second base, which has been the case for the majority of MLB triple plays. In that context, two examples of triple plays are: The batter hits a ground ball to the third baseman, who steps on third base to force out the runner coming from second (first out). The third baseman throws to the second baseman, who steps on second base to force out the runner coming from first (second out). The second baseman throws to the first baseman, with the throw arriving in time to force out the batter (third out). This is an example of grounding into a 5-4-3 triple play, also known as an "around the horn" triple play, per standard baseball positions. During the 1973 season, Baltimore Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson started two such 5-4-3 triple plays: one on July 7 against the Oakland Athletics, and one on September 20 against the Detroit Tigers. As a hitter, he is the all-time MLB leader for grounding into triple plays, with four in his career. On July 17, 1990, the Minnesota Twins became the first (and to date, the only) team in MLB history to turn two triple plays in the same game. Both were 5-4-3 triple plays, executed by fielders Gary Gaetti, Al Newman, and Kent Hrbek in a game against the Boston Red Sox. The baserunners start running in an attempt to steal or execute a hit and run play, and the batter hits a line drive to the second baseman, who catches it (first out). The second baseman throws to the shortstop, who steps on second base before the runner who started there can tag up (second out). The shortstop throws to the first baseman, who steps on first base before the runner who started there can tag up (third out). This is an example of lining out into a 4-6-3 triple play. Some triple plays can involve only two players. For example, if the pitcher catches a line drive (first out) then throws to the shortstop who steps on second base for a runner who fails to tag up (second out) and tags the runner from first before that runner can return to first (third out). This is a 1-6 triple play; similarly, instead of the shortstop, the play might involve the second baseman tagging second (second out) and the runner (third out), resulting in a 1-4 triple play. Note that, in either situation, the second and third outs can be reversed, e.g. the runner from first is tagged (second out), followed by second base being tagged (third out). A triple play can also involve only one defensive player. This is an unassisted triple play, described below.
Most recent MLB triple play The most recent triple play in MLB was turned by the Miami Marlins on July 21, 2026, against the Houston Astros. With runners on first and second in the bottom of the eighth inning, Jose Altuve hit a hard ground ball to third baseman Leo Jiménez, who stepped on third and tossed to second, where second baseman Xavier Edwards stepped on the bag and quickly threw to first baseman Kyle Stowers in time to retire a sprinting Altuve. The play came on a losing effort, as the Marlins ultimately lost, 5–3, to the Astros.
Unassisted triple plays
The rarest type of triple play, and one of the rarest events of any kind in baseball, is for a single fielder to complete all three outs in one play. There have only been 15 unassisted triple plays in MLB history, making this feat rarer than a perfect game.
Typically, an unassisted triple play is achieved when a middle infielder catches a line drive near second base (first out), steps on the base before the runner who started there can tag up (second out), and then tags the runner advancing from first before he can return there (third out). Of the 15 unassisted triple plays in MLB history, 12 have been completed in this manner by a middle infielder.
Most recent MLB unassisted triple play The most recent MLB unassisted triple play is consistent with the above – it occurred on August 23, 2009, by second baseman Eric Bruntlett of the Philadelphia Phillies, in a game against the New York Mets. In the bottom of the ninth inning with men on first and second base, the base runners were both running when Jeff Francoeur hit a line drive very close to second base, which Bruntlett was covering. Bruntlett caught the ball (first out), stepped on second base before Luis Castillo could tag up (second out), and then tagged Daniel Murphy who was approaching from first base (third out) to end the game. This was only the second game-ending unassisted triple play in MLB history, the first one having occurred in 1927.
Unfielded triple play Political columnist and baseball enthusiast George Will posed one hypothetical way that a triple play could occur with no fielder touching the ball. With runners on first and second and no outs, the batter hits an infield fly, and is automatically out: one out. The runner from first passes the runner from second and is called out for that infraction: two outs. Just after that, the falling ball hits the runner from second, who is called out for interference: three outs.
Whenever a batter or runner is out without a fielder touching the ball, MLB rule book section 10.09 provides for automatic putouts to be assigned by the official scorer. In this case, the first out would be credited to whoever the official scorer believes would have had the best chance of catching the infield fly. The second and third outs would be credited to the fielder(s) closest to the points the runners were, when their respective outs occurred. Under the scenario described above, the same fielder (the shortstop, for example) could be credited with all three putouts, thus attaining an unassisted triple play without having touched the ball.
While this has never occurred in a major-league game, Texas League Hall of Famer Keith Bodie told Sporting News that this event occurred in a 1986 spring training game.
Odd and notable triple plays
On September 30, 1962, in the eighth inning of the last game of the 1962 Mets' 40–120 season, facing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Joe Pignatano popped into a 4-3-6 triple play in his last MLB appearance. It was also the last game for Sammy Drake and Richie Ashburn, the two runners who were tagged out. Pignatano is the only player to end his career by hitting into a triple play. The New York Yankees got caught in a bizarre 2-5-3-1 triple play while facing the Minnesota Twins on May 29, 1982. Roy Smalley struck out (first out), while both Yankees baserunners had taken off in an attempted double steal. The ball was thrown to third baseman Gary Gaetti, who chased baserunner Bobby Murcer back to second, where Murcer was safe. Gaetti then threw the ball to first baseman Kent Hrbek to tag baserunner Graig Nettles who was caught between first and second (second out). Meanwhile, Murcer attempted to advance from second to third again. The ball was thrown from Hrbek to third base, where pitcher Terry Felton was covering, and Felton tagged Murcer (third out). On August 6, 2001, catcher Scott Hatteberg of the Boston Red Sox lined out into a triple play completed by Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez and second baseman Randy Velarde (the latter of whom completed an unassisted triple play the previous season). In his very next at-bat, Hatteberg proceeded to hit a grand slam, making him the only player to go from hitting into the best defensive play in baseball to making the best offensive play in baseball in consecutive at-bats. On April 14, 2002, designated hitter Ron Wright of the Seattle Mariners grounded into a triple-play in the fourth inning of the only MLB game of Wright's career (against the Rangers). With runners on first (John Olerud) and third (Ruben Sierra), Wright grounded to pitcher Kenny Rogers who threw to shortstop Alex Rodriguez to force Olerud at second (first out). Sierra, meanwhile, had broken late for home, and Rodriguez fired to catcher Bill Haselman. Haselman threw to third baseman Hank Blalock who threw to Rogers in the rundown; with Rogers tagging out Sierra (second out). Rogers then threw to second baseman Michael Young, who tagged out Wright trying to reach second (third out). The play was scored 1-6-2-5-1-4. (Wright's other plate appearances were a strikeout and grounding into a double play, thus accounted for six outs in three MLB at-bats.) In a rare case of a triple play without the batter hitting the ball, a September 2, 2006, game between the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays resulted in three outs instigated from an attempt by the Mariners' Adrián Beltré to steal second base after cleanup hitter Raúl Ibañez struck out against J. P. Howell. The Devil Rays' catcher, Dioner Navarro, saw the attempt and threw the ball to shortstop Ben Zobrist, who tagged Beltré for the second out. Mariners' runner José López, who had been at third base during this play, tried to take advantage of the situation and steal home, only for Zobrist to throw the ball back to Navarro who tagged López out. At the time, the Society for American Baseball Research believed this to be the only 2-6-2 triple play in major-league history. On May 19, 2010, in a game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets, with runners on first and second for the Nationals in the bottom of the fifth inning, Cristian Guzmán hit a blooper that was caught by Ángel Pagán just before it hit the ground (first out), before throwing the ball into the infield, where catcher Henry Blanco picked it up and threw it to shortstop José Reyes covering second base to force out Liván Hernández, who had advanced to third base (second out), before the ball was thrown to first baseman Ike Davis to force out Nyjer Morgan, who had advanced to second base (third out). The play was scored 8-2-6-3. Had Pagán run with the ball in to second base, he could have completed the first unassisted triple play by an outfielder by stepping on the base to force out Hernández and tagging Morgan out. The Yankees also turned one of the more complicated triple plays in MLB history. On April 12, 2013, with runners on first and second in the top of the 8th inning, Baltimore batter Manny Machado hit a sharp one-hopper to Yankees second baseman Robinson Canó. Canó fielded the ball and threw to shortstop Jayson Nix, forcing baserunner Nick Markakis for the first out. Instead of going to first for a routine double play, Nix opted to throw to third baseman Kevin Youkilis, catching baserunner Alexi Casilla between second and third. Youkilis chased Casilla back towards second and threw to Nix, who returned the throw to Youkilis, who tagged Casilla for the second out. Youkilis then threw to first baseman Lyle Overbay, catching Machado in a rundown between first and second. Overbay threw back to Canó, who tagged Machado sliding into second base for the third out. The play was scored 4-6-5-6-5-3-4.