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	Thursday, June 1
	Big Mac victimized by Diamondbacks Associated Press
	PHOENIX -- The list of "firsts" by the Arizona Diamondbacks filled out quickly the first two years. One that was missing was the one for triple plays. The franchise, which began play in 1998, got its first Wednesday night, and Mark McGwire hit into it. "I hope we never turn another one," manager Buck Showalter said after the spectacular play keyed a 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. "I don't want that many runners out there again. Bases loaded, nobody out -- you don't like your chances of getting out of that." The Diamondbacks were up 3-1 in the fifth inning when the Cardinals loaded the bases. McGwire, facing Randy Johnson, hit a towering popup to Steve Finley in shallow center field. Finley threw out Placido Polanco, who tagged up at third and tried to score. After making the tag play at the plate, catcher Damian Miller threw to third, where shortstop Tony Womack tagged out Edgar Renteria, who was trying to advance. "Steve made a nice throw to the plate," said third baseman Matt Williams, who moved out to a cutoff point. "He had him in one shot. Damian had the presence of mind to get it back to Tony at third. It was nice." The 8-2-6 combination is rare as triple plays go, and Showalter said it worked because everyone was in the right position. "He gets behind the ball and comes through the way you draw it up and gives a cuttable throw to the plate, which kind of freezes the trail runner (Renteria)," Showalter said. "Damian puts on a quick tag and looks at the trail runner like you teach it. And Tony's where he's supposed to be." "I just put myself in position to make the play," Womack said. "I had to be there, because I saw Matty going to be the cutoff guy." Finley knew Polanco was going. "I really didn't know how deep I was in the outfield," Finley said. "I just tried to stay behind the ball as best I could and get my momentum going to home plate, and to make sure I threw it to the cutoff man in case the runner on second tried to go to third. I didn't expect it to happen like that." It was the fourth triple play in the majors this year and the second this week -- Oakland's Randy Velarde turned an unassisted triple play Monday at New York.