The Yankees' new third baseman hit into a triple play in his first at bat at Yankee Stadium
The Yankees had Cincinnati Reds starter Luis Castillo figured out early on in Tuesday's game, slapping three consecutive singles in the bottom of the second inning. That brought Frazier up to the plate in an ideal run-scoring situation: bases loaded, no one out.
The third baseman, recently acquired from the Chicago White Sox, wanted to put on a show for the large New Jersey contingent that had accompanied him to the stadium, and in a way, he delivered. Frazier hit a tailor-made double play ball to Reds shortstop Jose Peraza, who took it to the bag himself and fired to first for the first two outs of the inning. Then, Yankees baserunner Didi Gregorius, who got a late start on advancing from second to third, was caught in a rundown, allowing the Reds to turn their first triple play since 1995.
In a small consolation for Frazier, the Yankees did manage to plate one runner and take a 1-0 lead. The last time a run was scored on a triple play was in 2006.
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The triple play is one of the most unlikely occurrences in baseball, so the odds of Frazier hitting into one in his first home at bat with a new team were astronomical. The 31-year-old acknowledged the absurdity of the situation after the game.
"Can laugh about it now," he said, according to ESPN. "At the time, I was pretty upset. It was just unbelievable. Hopefully, that doesn't ever happen again.''
Frazier has struggled mightily since being traded to the Yankees, his third team in the last three seasons. He's batting just .167/.286/.167 in pinstripes.
The Yankees went on to win the game 4-2 in spite of Frazier's blunder. They will continue their series against Cincinnati on Wednesday afternoon.