On Sunday, Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki — a rookie! — did something that has only happened 12 other times in the history of major league baseball: he managed an unassisted triple play.

There’s video at the link, but a reply (included) is really required. It goes like this:

1. 3-2 pitch, and the batter hits a line drive. Tulowitzki catches it for out #1 within a stride or two of 2nd base.
2. The runners had already started, but because the ball had been caught, they’d need to tag up their original bases. Tulowitzki makes the obvious play and steps on the 2nd base bag to doom the runner who started for 3rd a bit early, thereby notching out #2.
3. The first base runner, unaware of the growing drama, it still en route to 2nd. Still on the bag, Tulowitzki reaches out from 2nd and tags him for out #3.
4. For reasons known but to God, Tulowitzki then threw the ball to first. Even if the first catch hadn’t scratched the batter, a 4th out is not typically required.

The whole thing took not much more than a second.

Such plays are, as we noted, rare: this is the first since 2003. Prior to that, they happened in 2000, 1994, 1992, 1968, two in 1927, 1925, two in 1923, 1920, and 1909.