Toronto Blue Jays blunder way into triple play (VIDEO)

As long as the Toronto Blue Jays' current playoff drought — a Major League Baseball-worst 20 seasons — is, it had been nearly three times as long since the the majors saw a first base-to-shortstop-to-catcher triple play.

That all changed on Sunday, when the Jays' Ezequiel Carrera and Kevin Pillar committed the baserunning equivalent of Homer Simpson getting his arms stuck inside two vending machines, gifting the Mariners with a triple play. Carrera was on third base and Pillar was on first in the fourth inning when No. 9 hitter Ryan Goins grounded sharply to first baseman Mark Trumbo, who stepped on the base for the first out, which removed the force play at second.

Trumbo threw to shortstop Brad Miller to get Pillar in a rundown. That prompted Carrera to break for home plate. That led to another rundown and both runners being tagged out to end the inning. Pillar was out because he couldn't safely take an occupied base, while Carrera inexplicably toppled over, took his foot off third, and was retired by Mariners catcher Mike Zunino.

That is a 3-6-2 triple play, for those of you scoring at home. That has not happened in the majors since 1955.

It was the eighth triple-killing turned against the Blue Jays in their 39-season history, and the 11th by the Mariners, who also began play in 1977.

After playing a part in a diamond Dumb and Dumber, Carrera did totally redeem himself with a solo home run in his next at-bat. The Jays, however, lost 6-5 in 10 innings, leaving them 50-50 and 6½ games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East standings. No one is not, not saying the triple play cost them the game.

Was that the worst baserunning in Blue Jays' annals? There would have been some latitude of clemency if Carrera, Pillar and third base coach Luis Rivera had worked out in a way that would have allowed one of the runners to reach third base safely, giving leadoff hitter Jose Reyes a chance to drive in the run. It says here that former outfielder Kenny Williams still takes the prize for brutal baserunning.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @naitSAYger.