[z28jd]

From personal research and reading everyone else's research, I don't see why the Hines triple play is controversial. It seems like some people say it didn't happen based off of what one person said many years later. Recaps from the day, plus other eyewitness accounts recalled later call it unassisted, with some describing where the runner was at the time.

I also don't understand how people think the one dissenting view could be right. Hines caught the ball in shallow left-center and ran to third base for the second and third outs. For the runner to be going back towards second base and not get tagged, they would have passed each other well before third base. You're telling me Hines got to the bag, then turned and fired the ball to second base in time to get a runner he couldn't tag? No one ever says there was an attempted tag, or Sutton ran around him. Just we are supposed to believe that Sutton was halfway to second base and the last half took so long that Hines was able to run to third and throw to second base? There's not even a report of a close play at second to make that scenario seem likely.

I've never seen a plausible explanation that made sense to at least question it. There was an extensive 1911 article that made the rounds that had eyewitness accounts from two players, the umpire that day and Hines himself, all gathered separately. All confirming the play, while describing it in a similar fashion.