The Rays and Blue Jays played an epic game in Tampa yesterday afternoon. After nine innings, the score was tied at three. After ten, it was tied at four. After 11, it was tied at six. Finally it ended in the 12th, when Robinson Chirinos singled in BJ Upton to give the Rays a 7-6 win.
There are plenty of aspects to this game we could talk about: in the first nine innings, the Rays only scored in one, for example, and then they proceeded to score in three straight extra innings. Or how many extra inning games have there been this year in which teams have matched runs in the tenth and the eleventh? Or matched a multiple-run extra inning? I could talk about any of those things, but instead, I’m going to talk about Jose Molina’s triple.
That was perhaps the most incredible aspect of the Jays’ loss: Jose Molina tripled in two runs in the eleventh inning, and they still lost. Prior to Thursday, Jose Molina came up to the plate in a Major League game 1902 and two times and he’d hit just two triples. In any given Jose Molina at-bat prior to Thursday, there was about a 0.1% chance he’d hit a triple. This got me thinking. When were Molina’s other two triples? Were they similarly wasted? What about Molina’s brothers? Are they triple machines, too?
First things first: Jose’s triple yesterday brings him into a tie for second on the all-time Molina Brothers Triple List. Surprisingly, it’s Bengie who had six triples during his big league career, while younger (and generally more spry) brother Yadier only has three of his own. But what about Jose’s other triples? As it turns out, both of them came way back in 2004. In fact, they came within a month of each other in 2004. On April 10th, Jose, then an Angel hit his first career triple off of Kenny Rogers, then a Ranger. It came with the bases loaded and of course cleared the bases, turning a 4-2 Ranger lead into a 5-4 Angel lead. Undeterred, the Rangers went on to win 12-6. Just a month later, on May 9th, Molina tripled again against the (Devil) Rays’ John Halama. He was leading off the inning, so he didn’t drive in any runs, and he was thrown out at the plate in a fielder’s choice.
Quick Jose Molina triple rundown facts! I would’ve thought that a Jose Molina triple guaranteed a victory, but his teams are just 1-2 all-time now in games that he’s tripled. Molina now has 418 career hits, of which three are triples. That means that less than 1% (0.71%, actually) of his hits have been triples. However, his three triples have driven in a grand total of five runs. That’s 3.2% of his career RBIs. It’s also a scientific fact that 100% of Molina triples are awesome.
Also on Thursday: The Pirates’ bullpen melted down in a 7-6 loss to the Cubs, their seventh loss in a row. Cliff Lee shut out the Giants as the Phillies established who the best team in the NL really is. Ivan Nova struck out ten White Sox in less than eight innings on his way to his tenth win and a 7-2 Yankee victory. Yesterday’s full scoreboard is here.
Tonight: While most eyes will be on Boston for the latest chapter of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry, Ubaldo Jiminez will make his first start as an Indian against Derek Holland and the Rangers in Texas. Vance Worley and Jonathan Sanchez are on the mound in San Francisco for the Phillies/Giants game. In Houston, Yovani Gallardo and the Brewers are hoping to turn what was a four-team playoff race just two weeks ago into a romp as they look to expand their three-game lead on the division by beating up on JA Happ and the last-place Astros. Tonight’s full schedule is here.
