April 16, 1912 – The Pittsburgh Pirates turned in a fielding rarity of a 5-3-7 double play. Yes the third base player, Bobby Byrne fielded the ball and threw it to the first-baseman Dots Miller for the force out who in turn fired the ball to second base where the very alert left fielder Max Carey came in, took the toss, and made the tag on the Reds runner.
It is so rare that ESPN.com in a 2018 article ranking the 17 Different Types of Double plays did not even mention the possibility.
The Pittsburgh pitcher that day was Marty O’Toole, whose “wild” style of throwing and teammates not only got him out of a jam in that inning but helped retire the Cincinnati Reds with runners on base in other innings as well in an 8-2 Pirates victory.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
