There are a few rare and unusual occurrences that can happen in Major League Baseball (MLB), but one of the rarest is likely the unassisted triple play. An unassisted triple play occurs when a single defensive player records three outs on the same play without any assistance from their teammates.
Since the modern era of baseball began in 1900, there have only been 15 unassisted triple plays in MLB history. The last one occurred on May 8, 2018, when Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor made the play against the Detroit Tigers.
Other rare occurrences in baseball include hitting for the cycle (a batter getting a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game), a perfect game (when a pitcher retires every batter in a game without allowing any hits, walks, or errors), and a four-homer game (when a player hits four home runs in a single game).
What is the rarest game in baseball?
In baseball, a no-hitter is considered one of the rarest and most impressive accomplishments a pitcher can achieve. A no-hitter is a game in which a pitcher (or pitchers) allows no hits to the opposing team over the course of nine innings.
While no-hitters are relatively rare, they do happen fairly regularly in Major League Baseball (MLB), with several occurring each season. However, some variations of the game, such as perfect games, are even rarer.
A perfect game is a type of no-hitter in which the pitcher does not allow any baserunners at all. This means that no opposing batter reaches base through a walk, hit-by-pitch, error, or any other means. There have only been 23 perfect games in MLB history, making them one of the rarest accomplishments in the sport.
Other rare variations of the game include the combination no-hitter (when two or more pitchers combine to throw a no-hitter), and the “immaculate inning” (when a pitcher strikes out all three batters he faces in an inning on nine total pitches).
