CLEVELAND -- Indians second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera turned the 14th unassisted triple play in major league history, accomplishing the feat Monday night in the second game of a doubleheader against Toronto.
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Cabrera made a diving catch on a line drive by Lyle Overbay, touched second base and then tagged out Marco Scutaro to quickly end the fifth inning of Cleveland's 3-0 loss in 10 innings.
"I was trying to speed up the game," Overbay joked. "I get to go down in history. They can't take that away from me.
"It's not smart to hit a line drive on a hit-and-run. Only bad things can happen."
The only miscue by the 22-year-old Cabrera was that he didn't keep the ball.
"He flipped it into the stands and right as he did cried out, 'Oh, no!'" first-base coach Luis Rivera said, serving as the Venezuelan's interpreter.
"I knew it was pretty special," Cabrera said.
Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki made the last unassisted triple play in the majors, on April 29, 2007, against Atlanta. Oakland second baseman Randy Velarde last turned the trick in the AL, on May 29, 2000, against the Yankees.
This was the record third unassisted triple play by a Cleveland fielder.
Indians shortstop Neal Ball made the first one in history, in 1909. Cleveland second baseman Bill Wambsganss turned the only one in the World Series, in 1920 during a Game 5 win over Brooklyn.
The Indians also have been victimized three such times. The last player to pull an unassisted triple play against them -- Ron Hansen, in 1968 for Washington -- is now an advance scout for Philadelphia and was at Progressive Field to see Cabrera's feat.
"First one I've ever seen from the stands," Hansen said. "That kid is a real good fielder and has a great future.
"On a play like that, it's just reaction and he reacted right."












