Only 70 of the 703 triple plays turned in major league history began in the outfield. The one the White Sox completed Friday night is one of those, and wouldn’t have happened without some crisp defense from right fielder Adam Eaton.
Eaton’s play wasn’t flashy, which is hardly a criticism of it. He got a good read and jump on Mitch Moreland’s screaming line drive and was able to snag it in a full sprint, then slammed on the brakes and got the ball back into the infield, where Jose Abreu was waiting to begin a chaotic sequence that ended with the first 9-3-2-6-2-5 triple play in major league history.