Carlisle was born in
Yorkshire, England, and played baseball professionally in the United States during 1902–1918, 1920, and 1923. Carlisle is credited with playing in three
major league games, all in May 1908 as a
left fielder for the
Boston Red Sox. He registered one hit in 10
at bats while
striking out four times; he also had one
stolen base. While playing in the
Pacific Coast League for the
Vernon Tigers, Carlisle executed an
unassisted triple play on July 19, 1911, against
Los Angeles Angels. With the score tied at 3–3 in the sixth inning, and runners on
first and
second bases, Carlisle made a diving catch of a short fly batted by Roy Akin, stepped on second to retire
Charley Moore, and tagged George Metzger coming from first. The Tigers won the game, 5–4. With his rare feat, Carlisle entered the record books as the first, and to date only,
outfielder known to have made an unassisted triple play in professional baseball. According to
The Sporting News, Carlisle had at one point been a circus acrobat, which may have helped account for the bit of extra athleticism he showed in making the tumbling play. During the following season, Akin pulled off his own unassisted triple play, as a
third baseman. Carlisle died in
Los Angeles, California, at the age of 63. ==See also==