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1930 Philadelphia Athletics and 1930 World Series Photo Gallery
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The Philadelphia Athletics Complete A “Double Triple Steal”!
You may be wondering what the heck a “double triple steal” is. You’re not alone. I had never even heard of it until yesterday. So if you don’t know what it is, read on to find out…
Yesterday was the 87th anniversary of a really unusual game. Back July 26, 1930, in a game between the defending World Champion Philadelphia Athletics and the Cleveland Indians at Cleveland’s League Park, the A’s – not known for their base stealing ability – pulled off a real rarity: a “double triple steal”
Here’s the scene: There were two outs in the top of the first inning. The bases were loaded, with Al Simmons on third, Bing Miller on second, and Dib Williams on first. The A’s then successfully completed a “triple steal,” meaning all three runners stole a base, with steals of home, third and second.
OK…I think you’ll agree that’s pretty unusual…but here’s the real kicker: They did it again in the fourth inning! That’s right…in the same game, the A’s successfully completed a second “triple steal.” I doubt that’s ever been done before or since!
The second one again started with two outs. Mickey Cochrane was on third, Al Simmons on second, and Jimmie Foxx on first and they all stole a base. Then, right after the triple steal, Bing Miller followed with an inside-the-park home run to complete a six-run inning. The A’s went on to win the game, pummeling the Indians 14-1.The game was played in 2:08. The umpires that day were Bill McGown, Brick Owens, and Rick Campbell.
What makes it all the more interesting is that the A’s stole only 48 bases the entire season, ahead of only the Red Sox with 42. The total of seven stolen bases in this one game represented 15% of their entire season output!
The 1930 A’s were in route to their second straight American League pennant. Their powerful roster included Hall-of-Famers Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons, Jimmie Foxx and Lefty Grove. The A’s went on to defeat the Cardinals in the 1930 World Series 4-2 to capture their second straight World Series championship.
Gary Livacari
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Information: Excerpts edited from the This Day in Baseball History, National pastime web page; and from the July 25, 1930 game log found on Retrosheet.
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