Naquin turned on jets for wild inside-the-parker

CLEVELAND -- They say the most exciting play in baseball is the triple, but in 2016, Tyler Naquin did his best to prove otherwise.

In the bottom of the ninth against the Blue Jays on Aug. 19, the Indians overcame a one-run deficit on back-to-back home runs by José Ramírez and Naquin to take home the victory. But Naquin’s trip around the bases came with a little extra flair.

"I was just thinking after I hit it, I took a couple steps out of the box and just pictured it kicking off the wall," Naquin said after the game that night. "I said, 'I have a chance to score if it kicks far enough.' And sure enough, it did."

Over the past 45 years, more than 40,000 triples have been recorded while just more than 700 inside-the-park home runs have occurred. Naquin joined the more select group when his high fly ball bounced off the right-field fence as right fielder Michael Saunders attempted to make a leaping catch.

The ball ricocheted away from Saunders and rolled into right-center field. Melvin Upton Jr., who was playing in center, was late backing up the play and slipped when he got to the ball, leaving the door wide open for Naquin to make his third left turn. As the relay throw came in from the outfield, Naquin’s head-first dive into the plate was just ahead of the ball’s arrival and the then-rookie jumped to his feet and thrust his fist high above his head as his teammates dogpiled him.

"Initially, I thought it was out,” Indians third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh said after the game. “And then when it hit the wall, I saw that Upton was pretty far away from it backing up. And when he got to it, I thought we would have to stop [Naquin at third]. But as soon as [Upton] fell, I thought we had a good chance of scoring. Just good job on Tyler's part, just making sure he kept running. That was a great way to win the game, that's for sure."