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A's pitcher Kendall Graveman pulls off rare unassisted double play

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor

Kendall Graveman has had a whirlwind month of April.

It started with his first career opening day start against the Angels, which he won. In his second start, he carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of another win against the Rangers. In his third, he left early due to a right shoulder strain. Then on Thursday, he returned after a relatively brief absence and was immediately involved in one of the craziest plays we’ll see all season.

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How does a 1-unassisted double play sound?

Pretty weird, right? Maybe even rare.

Well that’s exactly what Graveman was able to pull off on a seemingly routine comebacker. In doing so, he became the first A’s pitcher to turn an unassisted double play since Blue Moon Odom did it to the Angels in 1971. And wouldn’t you know Odom was there to see it.

A's pitcher Kendall Graveman tags out Angles runner Ben Revere to start a wild double play. (AP)
A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman tags out Angles runner Ben Revere to start a wild double play. (AP)

It happened in the fifth inning of Oakland’s 2-1 loss to the Angels. Juan Graterol tapped the ball back to Graveman, who immediately took off like a madman toward third base. First he ran down Ben Revere, who had ventured too far down the line. Then he spotted Cliff Pennington attempting to race from first to third and was able to apply an acrobatic tag to complete the wild play.

There are many words we could use to describe this double play. Unexpected is certainly one. But unconventional seems to be the most fitting given the elements involved.

It was pretty important too considering how tightly contested the game was. Graveman was able to escape a tough jam without allowing a run. Unfortunately for him, the A’s offense never rallied. Despite his best efforts, Graveman was saddled with his first loss of the season.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!