The Cleveland Naps were squaring off against the Boston Red Sox on July 19, 1909, at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio, when something truly extraordinary unfolded. It was the second inning, and the Red Sox looked ready to grab the lead. Amby McConnell stepped up to the plate and smacked a line drive — but Cleveland's shortstop, Neal Ball, snagged it out of the air. Without missing a beat, Ball stepped on second base to retire another player, then turned and tagged a third player who had been heading toward second. Just like that, Neal Ball had pulled off the very first unassisted triple play in Major League Baseball history, forever etching his name and the date July 19, 1909, into baseball lore.
The whole thing unfolded so rapidly that virtually no one — not the players on the field, not the 11,000 spectators packed into the stands — could fully process what they'd just witnessed. Rather than erupting in cheers, the crowd buzzed with confused murmurs as people tried to piece together what had happened. Even Cleveland's pitcher was baffled, asking Neal Ball why he was walking off the field after the play wrapped up. But once the reality sank in that Ball had single-handedly ended the inning, the stadium exploded into a standing ovation, and his teammates showered him with applause back in the dugout. And Ball wasn't done making an impression — when the Cleveland Naps came up to bat in the following inning, he launched his first and only inside-the-park home run of the season.
For all the history he had just made, Neal Ball kept his feet firmly on the ground. In a postgame interview, he shrugged off the accomplishment, insisting that anyone could have made the play and brushing aside the interviewer's praise. Still, recognition came his way whether he sought it or not. He received two gold medals honoring his feat: one presented by Ban Johnson, the President of the American League, and the other from the Cleveland News. Today, the baseball glove Neal Ball wore when he executed that historic first unassisted triple play sits on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame.