Sixteen years ago today, Red Sox shortstop John Valentin did something that only nine other players had ever done before in Major League Baseball: he turned an unassisted triple-play (a feat that is rarer than a perfect game).
↵↵↵During the top of the sixth inning Marc Newfield hit a hard line drive that was caught by Valentin. Both runners had been on the move and Valentin casually stepped on second to double off Mike Blowers and then he tagged Keith Mitchell to complete the unassisted triple play.
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Since Valentin's triple-play, there have been five more occurrences, most recently on Aug. 23 of last year, when the Phillies' Eric Bruntlett ended the game against the Mets by recording three outs all by himself.
↵Fun Fact About Valentin's UTP Game: it was the MLB debut of an 18-year old Alex Rodriguez (he batted ninth and went 0-for-3).
↵An Even More Fun Fact About Valentin's UTP Game: I was in attendance.
↵(Also on this day in history, from SB Nation's excellent Inhistoric: Ted Williams won the 1941 All-Star Game.)