Contreras becomes 1st Cubs catcher with 2-triple game in 42 years

Not many catchers are known for their speed, and Chicago Cubs backstop Willson Contreras - who came into Wednesday's game with just seven stolen bases and two triples over his two-plus seasons in the major leagues - more than fits that stereotype.

But on Wednesday, Contreras found an extra burst running the bases and he used it to make a little history, as the catcher legged out not one, but two triples during the Cubs' 13-4 blowout win over the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field.

Contreras' first triple came in the third inning and was aided by some friendly Wrigley winds, which knocked a routine fly ball off course and allowed him to sail into third base standing up.

Then in the eighth, he laced a liner into the right-field corner past a diving Brian Anderson, and Contreras again landed on third standing up after shifting into a third gear and pushing himself around second.

Not only did Contreras double his career triples total in the span of one game, but he also achieved a rare feat among those who ply their trade behind the plate. The 25-year-old became only the sixth Cubs catcher since 1908 to have a two-triple game, and the first since Steve Swisher on Aug. 11, 1976, according to Baseball-Reference. The list of Cubs backstops Contreras joined on Wednesday also includes Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett, who did it in 1936, and former NL MVP Bob O'Farrell.

League-wide, Contreras is only the seventh catcher to hit two triples in a game since 2000 and the first to do it since the Mets' Nick Hundley in 2011. It's just the 97th time since 1908 that a big-league catcher has swatted two triples in a game - and none have ever hit three.

Contreras also doubled on Wednesday and finished his afternoon 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.

(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)