On This Day in Teke Baseball History

CLEVELAND, OHIO - On this day in 1978, Frater Duane Kuiper of the Cleveland Indians tied a major-league record by becoming the third player in the 20th century to hit two triples in a game. Both came with the bases loaded as the Indians beat the Yankees 17-5.

Playing in 1,057 games over a 12-year career, second baseman Duane Kuiper of Southern Illinois University (Beta-Chi) joined the Indians late in the 1974 season and was a regular the next five seasons. Among his best averages were .292 in 90 games in 1975, .283 in 149 games in 1978, and .277 in 148 games in 1977, when he was named Indians Man of the Year.

Kuiper led AL second basemen in fielding in 1976 and 1979, on the way to a career fielding mark of .983. He had 917 hits and a career batting average of .271. In 2004, Cleveland fans voted him as one of the 100 greatest players in Indians history. After spending his last four seasons as a Giants player, Kuiper joined the team's broadcast crew and is in his 22nd year (including 1993 with the Colorado Rockies).