The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-20
Baseball History Has 1t Only
One Ever Made.
Under Present Rules No Up
pOrtunity Is Seen.
TRIPLES ARE MANY.
Old Time Fan Tells of Incident
in New York.
Game Was Saved for MstrOpOl-
itans of 1876.

New York. Sept 2O.-As far as oase-
hall history goes, there was put one
ouadruple play ever made. Irlple
nlavs happen ever and anon, and there
have been unassisted triple plays Dut
there was just one quadruple play, anu
there may never be another. Under
the rules now governing baseball, II Is
not likely that the opportunity Will be
presented again. The quadruple play
was made a generation ago, and Few OF
those who saw it are now in the land
Of the living. According to Ben Doo-
son. an oid-tfrne fan, who was present
on the memorable OCCASION IL tooH
place in New York in 1876 ana saved
q game for the old Metropolitans
las nearly as can recollect, says
Dodson, ''the Chicago club wanted 10
catch a train. They had custom IN
those days-it was last repeated as iate
as 1892 In the National League-or let
ting the under dog. take two or three
saving time, as the winning team did
not 20 to bat at all. If any one dis
ptftes this assertion, they can find by
looking through the files OF 1893 an
instance where the Chicago team per-
1nitted an adversary to bat Tor three
successive asterisks, as though eacn
round had been the last half OF the
ninth for the victorious club.
ION this occasion, way back IN 1870
New York had the best Of 1T believe
by a tab Of to sand 1t seemed
cinch to put out the game, even al
lowing the enemy to take the eighth
and ninth in a bunch. But the Chi
cago team rallied, and it began to look
as if-according to the understood
agreement-the Nets would nave TO
Bling, biff, went the hits; before the
crowd could really wake up to the do
lngs. Chicago had driven in hve runs
"Two men out, bases full ana -FOUR 70
bs put out ere the seance could Legally
close. The batsman drove liner knee
high across the diamond. Covering
short for the Nets that day was a lit
tle. stocky fellow named Gaskins-not
Caskins, who afterwards became q star
of the early Giants-but Gaskins, a
aside from this one performance
achieved any special fame.
'arhe ball, ripped at Gaskins, who
wore no glove-that was long before
the time Of the infield mitten. It seem
ed to drive his hands back as though
they had been struck with mallet,
but, nevertheless, with his wrists back
between his knees, Gaskina held that
baf1 He WhirIed like a flash and
sprang to second, getting a runner
who had left the middle station. He
fred across to first, and the man who
had been on the initial bag was caught.
The first baseman threw it over to
third, and a runner who had been slid
ing for the plate arose to learn that
he was out and that the quadruple
play had been completed.
ut was so long ago, and the games
were so poorly recorded in those days.
that even the story of the quadruple
play has passed from authentic
archieves. Nevertheless, it happened
and doubtless the few Of the old-time
. players who were in that game could
recollect the details. All I, myself
can clearly remember after all these
years is this: That the circumstances
were as have said, that the quadru-
pie play was really made. and that 1t
was an obscure fielder named Gaskins
who pulled down the ball"