Tuesday night’s game between the Red Sox and Braves got off to a fairly positive start for Boston after taking a 2–1 lead in the first inning. Then, the bottom of the third happened.
That frame also had an auspicious beginning after the first two batters of the inning—Masataka Yoshida and Adam Duvall—both reached base. Triston Casas drove a ball to shallow center field that looked like it could have fallen for a hit but instead was caught by Michael Harris II. Then, some of the worst base running in recent memory turned a routine fly out into an inning-ending triple play.
Behold the head-scratching sequence for yourself.
The Braves turn the TRIPLE PLAY ‼️
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) July 26, 2023
(via @Braves)pic.twitter.com/VgocG8GF3X
That goes down as an 8-3-5 triple play in the scorebook—the first triple play of the season and the first 8-3-5 triple play in the majors since 1884, per SABR. It was also the first time the Red Sox had hit into a triple play since May 2, 2017, and the first the Braves had turned since 2004.
Boston later chased Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton with two runs in the fourth inning, so the team was able to turn the page after that embarrassing result the inning before. Still, it’s safe to assume this is a lowlight that will be replayed on repeat for a while.
