Here’s the Millan\/Torre story:<\/p>\n Double Whammy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Nice coincidence. Torre and Millan each had a consecutive double<\/em> consonant in their last names. In the game, seven players with a double consonant in their last name (Torre, Millan, Greg Gross, Enos Cabell, Mike Phillips, Hank Webb and Jack Heidemann) took the field.\u00a0 Also in the game was the double-voweled<\/em> Ed Kranepoole. Honorable mentions go out to first name, double-consonant players that game (Cliff Johnson, Larry Milbourne and Jerry Grote).<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n That season, Torre grounded into 22 double plays \u2013 second most in the NL. During his 18-year MLB playing career, Torre led the NL in GIDP three times. His final stat line was .297-252-1,185 in 2,209 games.<\/p>\n A few double- play tidbits.<\/p>\n As always, when Baseball Roundtable begin looking a topic \u201cone thing seemed to lead to another.\u201d\u00a0 This led me to the MLB career of Ron Wright.<\/p>\n RON WRIGHT.\u00a0 Three at bats \u2013 six outs \u2013 and done<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Attitude is everything \u2013 and we could all learn a lot from Ron Wright<\/strong>, a one-time MLB prospect who calls his one-game major-league career \u201cthe best day of my professional life,\u201d despite the fact that he missed, hit and ran his way into six outs in only three at bats (and a total of nine pitches). Starting his first \u2013 and only \u2013 game after being called up in April 2002 by the Mariners, Wright began his MLB career by striking out with two on in the second inning \u2013 and it was all downhill from there. But I\u2019m getting ahead of myself.<\/p>\n Wright\u2019s day went like this:<\/p>\n Second Inning:<\/em> With Ruben Sierra<\/strong> on second and John Olerud<\/strong> on first, Wright – who started at DH, batting seventh – took a called third strike (on an 0-2 pitch) from Rangers\u2019 starter Kenny Rogers.<\/strong><\/p>\n Fourth Inning:<\/em> With Sierra on third and Olerud on first, Wright\u00a0 hit a grounder to Rogers (on a 2-2 pitch), who threw to SS Alex Rodriguez<\/strong> at second for the force. Sierra, who had broken for home, was caught in a SS-C-3B-P rundown for a second out, and Wright who tried to take second during the run down was thrown out P-2B.\u00a0 An unusual triple play.<\/p>\n Sixth inning:<\/em> Again up with both Sierra and Olerud on base (second and first, respectively), Wright hit the first offering from Rogers\u00a0 into a more traditional short-to-second-to first double play.<\/p>\n Seventh Inning:<\/em> Up again with Sierra and Olerud on base (first and third) with one out, Mike McLemore<\/strong> pinch hit for Wright (ending Wright\u2019s MLB stat line).\u00a0 McLemore, by the way, struck out.<\/p>\n The Mariners trailing 5-1 after six frames, came back to win the game 9-7.<\/p>\n RON WRIGHT HITS\/RUNS INTO A TRIPLE PLAY<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baseballroundtable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/JOeFelix.jpg\")
<\/a>In 6-2 loss to the Astros in New York, Millan went four-for-four (four singles) and each time was forced at second base, as Torre grounded into four double plays in his four plate appearances. Plenty of unicorns here. By grounding into four twin killings, Torre became the first (and still only) National League player to ground into four double plays in a game. (The only other MLB player to “accomplish” this feat is Tigers’ LF Goose Goslin<\/strong>, who grounded not four twin killings as the Tigers topped the Indians 4-1 on April 28, 1934.)\u00a0 The Millan\/Torre combination also\u00a0 became the first (and still only) MLB combo to be partners on wrong end of a double play four times in a game. Further, Astros’ starter Ken Frosch<\/strong>, who went the distance (11 hits, two runs, one walk, two strikeouts) became the first (and still only) pitcher to induce the same batter to hit into four double plays\u00a0 in a game. That day, by the way, Millan was batting second and playing second base for the Mets, while Torre was batting third and playing third base (nice symmetry there).\u00a0 Side note: Some of this could possibly change as Negro League game stats from 1920-48 are further documented and incorporated into the MLB record book.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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