Bold opening: A spring training spectacle that left everyone buzzing, even before noon, proves the Cactus League is anything but ordinary. And this is the part most people miss: a routine showcase can turn into a bizarre, teachable moment about base-running and focus.
Rewritten version:
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Cubs’ first trip to the bases this spring produced an unforgettable triple play Sunday at Scottsdale Stadium, setting the tone for a day filled with quirks and surprises.
Welcome to the Cubs’ spring, where oddities are almost a feature, not a flaw. “Definitely spring training,” Alex Bregman joked afterward, smiling at the chaotic start.
The scene opened with an emergency fire alarm ringing through the ballpark as Cubs utility player Matt Shaw led off in the first inning. An automated message repeated the alert: an emergency had been reported in the building. Fans and players alike looked around, unsure whether to stay or flee. Cubs starter Colin Rea admitted he wasn’t sure what to make of it either.
Despite the confusion, the alarm stopped during Shaw’s at-bat, and Robbie Ray began pitching to him after the crowd had mostly returned. Ray walked Shaw, and the alarm ceased as play continued.
That’s when things truly spiraled into the surreal. Bregman, who had reached first and then advanced to third, found himself tangled between base-running decisions and Adames’s aggressive tagging. Suzuki’s rising flare behind second base produced a single, but Shaw paused at third and then held, while Arraez’s throw home reached Devers, who tagged Suzuki attempting to advance to second. Meanwhile, Bregman retreated toward the bag as Adames advanced, thinking the play was over.
In the chaos, Bregman was ruled out for failing to stay on base, while Shaw was tagged out as the lead runner. Adames flipped the ball to Matt Chapman at third, who tagged Shaw after Shaw removed his gear and stepped off the bag. The result: a rare 4-3-6-5 triple play, with all three runners reaching safely, yet all three being forced out on one perplexing sequence.
Bregman reflected that he’d never been part of an offensive triple play and should have stayed on the base longer to clarify the situation. “I knew I was out as the trail runner, but I’ve got to do a better job of staying on the base and clarifying what’s happening,” he said.
Rea didn’t witness the final outs firsthand; he was still trying to process the morning’s events and prepare to pitch again. “There was a fire drill, then three outs,” he recalled with a wry grin. “I know the guys were aggressive on the bases, and that stuff happens.”
Historically, this is far from the Cubs’ first rodeo with oddities on the field. The last true triple play involving the Cubs in a regular-season game occurred in 2020 against the Reds, and they’ve been on the receiving end of 40 triple plays in their long history, the most recent dating back to 2017 against the Phillies. Still, Sunday’s stunt was exhibition-only, not counting toward MLB’s official triple-play tally maintained by SABR.
Fan takeaway: even in a spring tune-up, memories like this become talking points and bragging rights among friends and family who were there to witness it firsthand. Rea’s light-hearted take captured the mood: a weird start to a game that would eventually end with a 4-2 Cubs loss after a ninth-inning rally folded on a double play.
The day’s backdrop included a patriotic crescendo as the USA men’s hockey team topped Canada in overtime, a moment that spilled into clubhouse chatter and memory for several Cubs players and staff. Bregman, who will represent Team USA in the World Baseball Classic alongside Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matthew Boyd, echoed the sentiment: the WBC has the potential to ignite the same fervor seen in Olympic hockey, with high stakes, intense competition, and post-game celebrations that feel almost cinematic.
So, can the World Baseball Classic capture the same electric atmosphere and communal passion that sports fans felt during the Olympic hockey showdown? Counsell believes so, noting that the thrill of victory and the sting of defeat are universal incentives that drive players to chase greatness.
Bregman, eager to bring US pride to Tokyo-like stages, summed up the mindset: “Let’s do it, let’s go win. USA, baby.”
And so, another day in the Cactus League offered laughter, lessons, and a reminder that even a spring training game can deliver a memorable, teachable moment—one that reminds us why we love baseball in the first place.
