Tigers make triple-play history after boneheaded baserunning mistake

When baseball's winningest team rolled into Detroit for a three-game series, it was clear that the Tigers were going to have an uphill battle to fight. The Philadelphia Phillies entered fresh off two back-to-back series wins against the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Tigers were coming off of a series win against the Chicago White Sox themselves, but their 36-41 record paled in the face of the Phillies' 51-26.

Things already weren't looking great heading into the bottom of the third; Philly had put up four runs in the first off Detroit starter Casey Mize. The Tigers looked like they had a chance to close the gap a little in the third, with runners on the corners and Matt Vierling, looking to extend a four-game hitting streak, was at the plate.

He hit a sinker straight back to Aaron Nola, who made a clean play and whipped it to first to double off Carson Kelly, who was heading back but had no chance to get there on time. If that had been it, Tigers fans could write it off as an impressive but ultimately forgettable double play.

That wasn't all, though: Zach McKinstry seemed to have no idea where the ball was, and he hustled home from third. He was already well past the plate when Bryce Harper slung the ball over to third for Alec Bohm to complete one of the saddest, most avoidable triple plays you've ever seen.

Tigers' costly baserunning error turned into a historic triple play at their expense

The Athletic's Jayson Stark noted that it was the first 1-3-5 triple play baseball has seen in 95 years. But the real rub of it is that the last team to pull it off was (drumroll, please) our very own Tigers, who did it against the Red Sox on July 11, 1929 at the old Tiger Stadium.

The Tigers went on to lose that game 8-1 against the Phillies, who put up four more runs thanks to Harper and Bohm, who scored their first four as well. Detroit's lone run on the day came on a Kelly RBI single to score none other than McKinstry.

All told, the Phillies got 15 hits off of Mize and the Tigers bullpen, while Detroit could only eke out seven (two of which were obviously wasted on that absurd triple play).

It's a bad, bad look for the Tigers, and unfortunately it's literally looking like one for the record books.

More Detroit Tigers News and Rumors