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There’s no denying that 2009 has been a fan’s dream. Six months of play have featured a no-hitter, a perfect game, an unassisted triple play, and eight cycles. Each event is rare, but some are more anomalies than acts of skill. Most baseball aficionados agree that the unassisted triple play—as infrequent as it is—does not require exceptional talent. This play can be written off to a fluke—the fielder has to be in the right place at the right time and then perform as he is expected to. Of the 15 unassisted triple plays in baseball history, all have been executed by an infielder snatching a line drive and then nailing runners off their bases. Hitting for the cycle is also unusual but only insofar...