New York Yankees Triple Play: How the Players and Coaches Saw It

In the ninth game of a season that many Yankee fans have already had time to give up on due to the team's age, infirmity and downright unlikeability, the Yanks did something no one saw coming, and no team had ever done before.

In the top of the eighth, with New York leading the Baltimore Orioles 5-2,  Baltimore's Manny Machado hit a sharp one-hopper to NY second baseman Robinson Cano. Baltimore's Nick Markakis and Alexi Casilla, on first and second respectively, had to hold up to see if Cano would be able to spear the ball on a line. When it bounced, both were in awkward positions.

Cano quickly tossed to shortstop Jayson Nix covering second for the force on Markakis. Nix then alertly threw back and forth to Kevin Youkilis at third to catch Casilla, the lead runner, in a rundown. Youkilis then threw across the diamond to Lyle Overbay on first, and Machado was caught trying to advance to second. The first 4-6-5-6-5-3-4 triple play in MLB history.

Reaction:

"

Yankees triple play is 2nd since 1969. Last one was 2010. This one preserves a 5-2 lead and sends Yanks to the bottom 8th.

— Daniel Barbarisi (@DanBarbarisi) April 13, 2013"

"

That might be the most entertaining triple play I've ever seen. Ball moving all over. Score it 4-6-5-6-5-3-4.

— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) April 13, 2013"

Joe Girardi:

"You’re not going to see things like that happen in a crucial moment." (via LoHud.com)

"I think you're thinking two. When the ball goes to third, you're like, 'All right, well that was pretty good, we kept them out of scoring position.' Then all of a sudden you see the other guy stray off and you say, 'Well we might as well get three.'" (via MLB.com)

CC Sabathia:

"That was awesome. Any time you get a triple play, you're fired up. These guys did a great job." (via MLB.com)

"I'm just saying, 'Please don't let me get in this rundown.' I see Youk running down Casilla, and I'm thinking hopefully Machado is running, which he was, and we're able to get the triple play." (via MLB.com)

Kevin Youkilis:

"I knew it right away, like, ‘We got a triple play here.' I probably should have thrown the ball a little harder, though ... That was the craziest, coolest — any adjective you want to throw in that’s positive — that was amazing." (via NYTimes.com)

"That's like being a kid again. That's one of the coolest things I've ever had on the field. You don't see one written up like that. It was special. This game we play, it's one of these games where it's a job and it's a grind at times. But when stuff like that happens, you feel like you're back playing little league again" (via ESPN.com)

Jayson Nix:

"

Jayson Nix is known in this clubhouse for not smiling much. Or ever. He was grinning through pretty much entire interview about triple play

— Daniel Barbarisi (@DanBarbarisi) April 13, 2013"

Mark Teixiera (injured, watching from dugout):

"That was awesome. That's one of the toughest triple plays you'll ever see." (via ESPN.com)

Buck Showalter:

"The two lead runners made the right play. It's a line drive short-hop. You can't go anywhere because if he catches it, then he does get multiple outs. We just made a mistake on the trail runner trying to get a little over-aggressive, a young player. But Manny's one of the reasons why we we’re in that game." (via BaltimoreSun.com)

Manny Machado:

"Ball was hit hard, right at Cano. It’s a tough, tough judgment call for the base runners, for Nicky and Casilla. You got to hold on that, let the ball drop. They made the right play. Nix made the right play, threw the ball to third and I was just trying to get in scoring position at that point, let Jonesy come up to hit and change the game a little bit. It was a tough call. Tough play" (via BaltimoreSun.com)