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Jack-of-all-trades Josh Harrison starts around the horn triple play for Pirates
When the Pittsburgh Pirates broke camp in March, they didn't have a clear position in mind for Josh Harrison. His versatility — he plays all three outfield position and three-fourths of the infield — guaranteed he'd receive plenty of playing time, but when or where it would come was not set in stone.
As it goes in baseball, things tend to change quickly. By the end of April, Harrison was playing every day in right field while the Pirates waited for top prospect Gregory Polanco to develop in Triple-A. By July, his numbers clearly justified his first All-Star selection, which Harrison received.
With Pittsburgh's outfield getting healthy and in order following the break, Harrison was transitioned again, this time to third base in place of Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez, who led the NL in home runs in 2013, first lost his position due to prolonged defensive struggles, and then suffered an injury that will keep him out for the season.
So now it's solely up to Harrison to man the hot corner, and like every other assignment Pittsburgh has given him, he's making sure the job gets done right.
On Sunday, he sparked a Pirates turnaround in the fourth inning by snaring a rocket off the bat of Chicago Cubs outfielder Matt Szczur, stepping on third and firing to second baseman Neil Walker to start a smooth around-the-horn triple play. That's 5-4-3 if you're scoring at home.
It's the first triple play turned by the Pirates since April 12, 2009, at Cincinnati. According to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, it's the first triple play the Cubs have hit into since May 14, 2000 in Montreal, and the 37th they've hit into in franchise history. They've been involved in 77 triple plays overall.
We're sure this one wasn't the strangest, but it was flawlessly executed and it may have actually saved the game for Pittsburgh. At the time, they were already trailing by three runs with Chicago threatening to add on and end Edinson Volquez's afternoon early. Instead, they escaped the jam, and then the offense took off.
In their half of the fourth, Neil Walker got them on the board with a solo home run. In the fifth, Pittsburgh batted around and scored six times, including a two-run double by Harrison. The Pirates would go on to win 7-3.
Andrew McCutchen may be the reigning MVP, but Harrison has undoubtedly been their rock all season. That was proven true again on Sunday, and will need to continue if they hope to hold down a wild-card spot in the National League.
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is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
