A Colorado Rockies outfielder made baseball history Wednesday evening in Pittsburgh by executing an extremely rare defensive play that hadn’t been seen in over a decade.
Jake McCarthy accomplished the first unassisted double play by a left fielder in Major League Baseball since 2013 during the Rockies’ matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The unusual play unfolded when McCarthy sprinted toward home plate to field a dropping line drive hit by Bryan Reynolds, securing the catch while running at full speed for the inning’s second out.
With Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz positioned near third base after starting the play at second, the 28-year-old McCarthy kept running toward the infield and touched second base to complete the double play and end the inning.
According to statistics from the Elias Sports Bureau, no left fielder had turned an unassisted double play since Jonny Gomes achieved the feat on July 31, 2013.
Colorado went on to defeat Pittsburgh by a score of 10-4.
