When you hear coaches address the media following a game that their team has played you can usually count on more than a few cliches'. It's how coaches talk and how we as fans have come to learn to listen to them. However, there is a lot of validity in those tired old phrases, at least when it comes to playing and winning games.

Jose Francisco Morales via Unsplash.com
Jose Francisco Morales via Unsplash.com
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For example, how many times have you heard a coach mention mental focus? Well, that's an important part of every sport. Whether you're playing an individual sport like golf or tennis and it's even more important if you're playing a team game like football or baseball.

Mental agility came into play over the Easter weekend in a college baseball game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Pittsburgh Panthers. In this case, it was one of the defenders, the Virginia first baseman, who actually forgot where the action was in the game.

Here's what happened, Devin Ortiz, the first baseman for the Cavaliers had just completed a "routine" double play. In this case, the bases were loaded so the catcher fielding a throw from the third baseman stepped on home and threw the ball to first for the second out. Ortiz mistakenly thought the putout at first was the third out of the inning. It wasn't.

Lesley Juarez via Unsplash.com
Lesley Juarez via Unsplash.com
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You can only imagine Ortiz's horror after he casually flipped the ball toward the pitcher's mound only to realize that there was still one more out in the inning and a Pittsburg player was making a break for homeplate. Here's how it all worked out.

I am sure that's not how the Virginia coaches drew it up but it still counts as three outs and the Cavaliers coming to bat. Unfortunately, the luck of the triple play was about all that UVA had going for them in that game. Pittsburgh went on to win the game by a score of 4 to1 but needless to say, UVA had the better highlight.

LOOK: MLB history from the year you were born

Stacker compiled key moments from Major League Baseball's history over the past 100 years. Using a variety of sources from Major League Baseball (MLB) record books, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and audio and video from events, we've listed the iconic moments that shaped a sport and a nation. Read through to find out what happened in MLB history the year you were born.

 

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