Oakland Athletics' Kendall Graveman, 26, having just returned from a short stint on the DL, may have lost his first outing, but he did it with style! Pitching a total of six innings and giving up two runs in the first kept him from inking a win, but his sixth inning fielding acrobatics showed that he has the might to be more than an ordinary pitcher.

How it all happened

With Los Angeles Angels' Cliff Pennington and Ben Revere perched on first and third base respectively, Graveman knew he was in a slight sixth inning pitching jam. He tossed a pitch to Angels' Juan Gaterol who swung and connected, returning a short hop shot right back to the mound.

Graveman scooped in up, paused, and saw Revere breaking for home.

Sensing the beginning of a run-down, Graveman chased Revere back to third, and successfully tagged him in the process. It quickly became obvious that Pennington, too, was going to be caught in the crossfire, having taken off for third base himself. He attempted to slide in safely. But Graveman, using a no-less-than 10 point acrobatic tumbling move, jumped over Revere to tag another (Pennington)! Two Angels, two tags, two outs, and one spectacular somersault later, the inning was near over.

First Oakland unassisted pitcher double play since 1971

Graveman wasn't the first and only Oakland Athletics pitcher to earn an unassisted Double Play.

But, the last time was not only prior to Graveman's time in baseball, but prior to his time on earth. Blue Moon Odom -- so appropriately named when discussing this particular event, who happened to be in attendance to witness Graveman's feat -- last completed the unassisted DP on July 11th, 1971, nearly 46 years prior.

Ordinary double plays are common in baseball -- something that happens routinely throughout any nine-inning game.

Unassisted double plays on the part of infielders (exclusive of the pitcher) are not common but not unheard of. The scenario of a first baseman fielding a line drive and tagging the base, catching a runner off guard, is not all that unusual. But, unassisted double plays on the part of a pitcher are rarified air.

Graveman is in his third year with the Athletics.

He currently has a 2.25 ERA and a 2-1 W-L record. He has a career record of five double plays with two of them completed this season. With a little luck, he will be the Oakland Athletics pitcher who holds the unassisted double play record for at least the next near-half century.
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