One of the earliest recorded instances of the wheel play being used in MLB was when it was executed by the Pittsburgh Pirates against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 14, 1960, resulting, as reported by the Pittsburgh Press, in "an electrifying double play … that had the 36,775 fans screaming."
Several Pirate players and coaches said they had never seen the play before, but the Pirate players who executed the play attributed the original idea to former Chicago Cubs manager Charlie Grimm, who they thought used it in 1950
The Cardinals successfully used the wheel play against the Texas Rangers in the second inning of Game 6 of the 2011 World Series.