Cubs encounter an unusual triple play during spring training

2026 Spring Training Begins Amidst Unusual Events

The spring training schedule for 2026 kicked off last weekend—finally, a reprieve for MLB teams after a long winter.

Take the Chicago Cubs, for instance; they might need a bit more practice to really hit their stride.

The Cubs faced off against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday in Scottsdale for their third spring training game. Right from the start, things felt a bit off.

As left-hander Robbie Ray was gearing up to pitch, an alarm went off just five pitches shy of his first throw. The umpires instructed both teams to continue playing while a looping emergency message played in the background. Ray later shared his disbelief: “I thought, ‘Are we just going to keep playing?’ It was kind of unsettling,” he admitted.

Fortunately for Ray, the Cubs came through for him moments later.

He opened the game with walks to Matt Shaw and Alex Bregman before allowing a single to Seiya Suzuki in shallow right field. Instead of loading up the bases, though, something truly bizarre unfolded. Ray sprinted back to the dugout as one of the oddest triple plays unfolded.

Suzuki attempted to stretch his single into a double, but first baseman Rafael Devers intercepted the throw from second baseman Luis Arraez and tossed it to shortstop Willie Adames at second base. Adames tagged Suzuki and gave the Giants an early lead.

But this was just the start of the strange occurrences.

Shaw, stationed at second when the play kicked off, fielded a shallow fly ball without advancing back to second base. Meanwhile, Bregman decided to try moving to third, resulting in the Cubs placing both runners on third base.

Adames managed to tag both Shaw and Bregman as they reached third, catching Bregman out as the third base umpire called it. Shaw, perhaps confused, walked away, likely thinking he’d been called out too.

During this commotion, Matt Chapman, the third baseman who received the ball from Adames, struck out the next batter, ending the wild inning.

Adames reflected, “Honestly, I’m not even sure what unfolded there.” He added, “I couldn’t watch it on my iPad, but I could tell it was chaotic at third base. There seemed to be too many guys there—maybe even three.”

Chapman echoed this sentiment, hinting at the distractions of the fire alarm that went off during the game, causing some fans to leave. “There was just a lot happening,” he explained. “Shaw probably thought he was out as he followed along. It’s early in the season; guys are still getting back into the rhythm of the game.”