The Sunnyvale Sun

Sports

Sunnyvale's Troy Tulowitzki turns unassisted triple play for Rockies

By MIKE BARNHART

It didn't take Fremont High graduate Troy Tulowitzki (class of 2002) very long to make an impression on Major League Baseball--in fact, on April 29 he made an everlasting impression.

Tulowitzki, who this spring earned the starting shortstop job with the Colorado Rockies after just one full season of professional baseball, is headed for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Well, his baseball cap and jersey are, anyway.

In the seventh inning of a game played in Denver against the Atlanta Braves, the former Sunnyvale youth league and Fremont standout became only the 13th player in Major League history to record an unassisted triple play.

Two Atlanta players reached base to start the seventh inning and were running on a 3-2 pitch when Tulowitzki caught a line drive behind second base for the first out. The rookie quickly stepped on the base to double up one runner for the second out. Then he tagged the oncoming runner from first for the third out.

It was the first unassisted triple play since September, 2003, and just the sixth since 1927.

His jersey and cap have been sent by the Rockies to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.