1909 Neal Ball First Unassisted Triple Play Group
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GUEST:
Neal Ball is my great-uncle. And on July 19 in, uh, 1909, he made the first unassisted triple play in the history of Major League Baseball in the top of the second inning against the Red Sox. He was playing shortstop, and the first guy hits a single, gets on first base, and that was Heinie Wagner.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
And then Jake Stahl came up next. He bunted and got safely to first, and of course, Heinie went over to second. And then we have Amby McConnell coming up in the third position, a high, rising belt, right over second base.
APPRAISER:
Line drive!
GUEST:
It's a line drive, and it keeps on rising, according to my Uncle Neal, when he told the story. (both laughing) He said, "I just stuck my arm in the air, and, and it stuck in my glove," steps on second. Now there are two outs. And then he turns, and he sees the big guy coming from first.
APPRAISER:
Jake Stahl.
GUEST:
Jake Stahl, and he supposedly just, you know, "I just waited for him to come."
APPRAISER:
(chuckles)
GUEST:
He was just, "He couldn't, he couldn't stop," and he was, "Hit my, hit my glove." But actually, someone said, "No, no, he a... The guy backpedaled," and my uncle had to run a little ways and get it, and that's three outs. But then nobody recognized the triple play. It was the first one ever in the Major Leagues. My uncle throws his glove down, and starts to walk off the field. The pitcher turns around and says, "Where are you going, Neal?" And Neal says, "Well, Cy..."
APPRAISER:
Cy Young.
GUEST:
Cy Young-- "That's three outs!"
APPRAISER:
In the history of Major League Baseball, there have been more than 700 assisted triple plays, but there have only been 15 unassisted triple plays. So what you just told us, those are remembrances from your uncle.
GUEST:
Well, yes. I was only, uh, 12 when he died.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
And we visited, my mother and I. And I'd sit at his feet and listen to him talk. He had a twinkle in his eye, and a big smile always on his face, and he had lots of stories to tell.
APPRAISER:
Tell me about this trophy that he got.
GUEST:
I only know that the Cleveland "Plain Dealer," the newspaper, awarded it to him on the 20th of 1909. So it, so it was really the next day. My husband polished it up, bless his soul. (chuckles) It was really nice of him.
APPRAISER:
It looks, it looks like it was brand new, but look, it's over a century old here, and I love that, "To commemorate the first unassisted triple play "by Neal Ball at League Park in Cleveland, July 19th, 1909, from the Cleveland press." And then you also have this great cartoon which shows how the triple play happened.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
We have the portrait of your, of your uncle right here in a Cleveland uniform, who looks great, and then of course we have him here, and with the three Boston players that were involved, Amby McConnell...
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
...Heinie Wagner, and Jake Stahl.
GUEST:
Yes. He played for Boston and such, Cleveland. These were all American League teams.
APPRAISER:
Teams, right.
GUEST:
Why did he not get a life pass to the American League? That was the one thing he said that was the worst part about his career, was, why didn't the American League give him a lifetime pass?
APPRAISER:
That is kind of odd.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
But it is exciting, I mean, considering that your Uncle Neal was really a utility player and made it to the Hall of Fame. He played from 1907 to 1912. He had a very good career.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
But this is why he's in the Hall of Fame.
GUEST:
It is.
APPRAISER:
Is for the first unassisted triple play. So in looking at all of this, when we look at value, here you have what we call a milestone piece. There'll never be another first. The bulk of the value here is in the loving cup.
GUEST:
Is that right?
APPRAISER:
It is in the trophy for what it represents.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
If I was going to put an auction estimate on this group...
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
...I would probably put $12,000 to $15,000.
GUEST:
Thousand?!
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
You say thousand dollars?!
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
(gasping): Just... (laughing): I never would have expected that. Oh, gosh. (laughing)
APPRAISER:
And if I were going to insure it, I'd insure it probably for at least $30,000.
GUEST:
(whispers): $30,000!? For Uncle Neal? (laughing): That's so sweet. Well, I've, I've missed him ever since, because I was just a girl, yes, but he meant a lot to our family.
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