Royals Execute First 5-6-4-3 Double Play In 31 Years

The ball popped out of Maikel Garcia’s glove, and somehow, that was the beginning of history. In the bottom of the fourth inning at Progressive Field on Monday night, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. reacted so swiftly to Garcia’s fumbled deflection that the entire Royals infield combined to execute the rarest of baseball plays: a 5-6-4-3 double play, the first recorded in Major League Baseball in 31 years.

The Last Time It Happened

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time all four infielders touched the ball on a groundball double play was August 24, 1995, when the San Francisco Giants turned the same play in Montreal. Matt Williams, Royce Clayton, Robby Thompson, and Mark Carreon were the heroes that day, with Mike Lansing at the plate. Not one of the Royals’ four infielders on Monday, Garcia (26), Witt (25), Jonathan India (29), and Vinnie Pasquantino (28), had even been born yet when that play happened.

How It Happened

Guardians designated hitter Rhys Hoskins drove a low liner toward third base with Kyle Manzardo on first. Garcia lunged and got a piece of it, but the ball popped loose. Witt, covering the ground behind him with characteristic instinct, scooped it up and fired a laser to India at second. India pivoted and fired to Pasquantino at first, twin killing complete. The play required all four infielders to execute without a single hesitation.

In baseball’s scorekeeping shorthand, positions are numbered: third baseman (5), shortstop (6), second baseman (4), first baseman (3). Hence: 5-6-4-3. A standard groundball double play runs 6-4-3 or 4-6-3. Having all four infielders involved, including the shortstop as a relay station, almost never occurs.

Witt’s Deadpan Reaction

When asked about it after the game, Witt played the straight man before breaking character.

“Yeah, we’ve been working on that pregame,” Witt deadpanned, before shaking his head and grinning. “You play this game long enough, some crazy things happen.”

Garcia, who started the sequence with his diving deflection, was equally relaxed about it. “I know Bobby’s always behind me,” he said with a smile.

Wacha Wins, Defense Steals the Show

Starting pitcher Michael Wacha was the direct beneficiary of the play, getting two outs on a sequence that no pitching coach could draw up. He went on to deliver seven innings of one-run ball, scattering three hits with three strikeouts in the Royals’ 4-2 victory.

“We’ve got some absolute studs out there playing defense,” Wacha said after the win. “It was another night where they were showcasing it. It’s fun being on that mound knowing we’ve got those guys behind us.”

Carter Jensen added a go-ahead solo home run in the sixth inning, and Jonathan India put the game away with a two-run blast in the eighth. Lucas Erceg closed it out with a clean ninth for his third save of the season.

A Night for the Record Books

The Royals improved to 5-5 on the season with the win, while the Guardians fell to 6-5. But the box score was almost an afterthought. Baseball’s social media sphere lit up over a play that was equal parts chaos, instinct, and artistry, a moment no fan in the stadium, and very few alive in 1995, had ever seen before.

Moments like these are why the game endures: four young infielders, none of them old enough to remember the last time it happened, turning a fumbled deflection into a page of baseball history.