Angels Stun Dodgers with Rare Triple Play in Freeway Series
So, picture this — it’s a tense moment in Anaheim, the Dodgers and Angels locked in a 5–5 tie during the latest chapter of the always-intense Freeway Series. We’re in the top of the sixth inning, and Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani steps up to the plate with runners on first and second — Miguel Rojas on second, Dalton Rushing on first — and no outs. Ohtani is facing Angels reliever Brock Burke, who’s bringing serious heat. On a 97.1 mph four-seam fastball, Ohtani sends a sharp line drive right up the middle.
But here’s where it turns from just another at-bat into one of those “you had to see it to believe it” moments. Shortstop Zach Neto reacts instantly, snaring the liner out of the air before it even has a chance to split the infield. In one smooth motion, he steps directly on second base, erasing Rojas, who had already broken toward third thinking the ball was through. That’s two outs in the blink of an eye.
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Now, all that’s left is Dalton Rushing, who’s scrambling back toward first base after realizing the ball had been caught. Neto doesn’t hesitate — he fires the ball over to first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Schanuel applies the tag just as Rushing tries to dive back in. Rushing lands awkwardly, tumbling to the dirt and staying down for a few moments before getting back up. And just like that, the Angels had pulled off something you almost never see: a triple play.
It’s the eighth triple play in Angels history and the first they’ve turned since August 18, 2023. Fans were still buzzing as replays flashed on the big screen, showing how fast it all unfolded. In less than five seconds, the Dodgers went from a promising rally with their superstar at the plate to heading back to the dugout empty-handed.
This wasn’t just any defensive highlight — it came against Ohtani, the Angels’ former face of the franchise, now wearing Dodger blue. And the timing couldn’t have been more dramatic. The play preserved the tie in a rivalry game where emotions always run high. It also kept the Angels’ perfect record intact against the Dodgers this season — four wins out of four meetings so far.
Triple plays in baseball are rare enough, but pulling one off in the middle of a rivalry game, against one of the sport’s most feared hitters, feels like something straight out of a movie script. For Zach Neto, who was at the heart of all three outs, it’ll be a career highlight to remember. And for the Angels, it’s another page in a season where their defense is proving it can rise to the occasion when the stakes are highest.
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