Stealing Home -OT (sort of)

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Posted By: Jeff Mohler

Last night in the Phillies - Nationals game Chase Utley was on third, a runner was on first and there were two outs. Chase noticed the pitcher's move to first was slow, so he tried to steal home when the pitcher threw over to first. The first baseman saw him going and threw to home where Utley was called out after a collision with the catcher. Charlie Manuel, the Phillies manager, applauded Utley's aggressiveness.

My question: If Utley had been successful, would this have been a "pure" steal of home, (not part of a double steal)? I haven't seen baserunning done like this lately. I have read about it being done in books about the deadball era and even up into the fifties, eg. Jackie Robinson, but I don't think we see it done often nowadays. Has anyone seen it done recently?

Jeff

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Posted By: Matt

I believe Grady Sizemore has straight stolen home a few times.

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Posted By: leon

I don't watch too many Major League games anymore but I would have called it a steal. Obviously if the runner on 1st didn't move up then it would not have been part of a double steal. This is one of the aspects of the game that is most important to me, the mental part. It really peeves me (now) when I am playing softball (still sort of like baseball) when players don't "think". Knowing exactly what to do and when to do it, in every circumstance, is so important. I love that sort of aggressive play too......

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Posted By: Jason

Aaron Hill did a straight steal of home last season if remember correctly.

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Posted By: Steve

B. J. Upton, outfielder, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Here are the last five straight steals of home in reverse chronological order (as of October 24, 2007):

September 17,2007 - In the third innin against the Angels, B.J. Upton of the Rays had a straight steal of home against Kelvim Escobar.

May 29, 2007- Aaron Hill, second baseman, Toronto Blue Jays
Blue Jays third base coach, Brian Butterfield, had clued the players in before the game that the situation might arise. It did. With the score tied 1-1, and 2 outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Blue Jays had runners on first and third against the Yankees. With a 1-1 count on batter Royce Clayton, lefty pitcher Andy Pettite focused intently on Jason Phillips, the Blue Jays runner at first base. Butterfield gave the go signal, and Aaron Hill took off from third base, taking advantage of the fact that Pettite was not watching him at all. Catcher Jorge Posada had to shout to Pettite to throw the ball. The hurried pitch came in high, and Hill slid in safely under the tag.

July 5, 2006 - Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays stole second, third and home (straight steal in 4th inning) in a game against the Red Sox, making him the last player to complete the "stolen base cycle" in a game.

July 2, 2006 - Angels' shortstop Orlando Cabrera stole home against Chad Billingsley of the Dodgers. Surprised, Billingsley stopped his motion, stepped off the mound, and Cabrera slid in uncontested. Billingsley was called for a balk. However, since the advancing baserunner caused the balk, the stolen base superceded the balk and was correctly awarded to Cabrera.

August 26, 2005 - Grady Sizemore of the Cleveland Indians, vs. Toronto Blue Jays.




As for answering your question I really don't know.

Edited to say: taken from the internet


Steve

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Posted By: john/z28jd

Omar Vizquel had a straight steal of home on June 13th this year for the only run the Giants scored vs the A's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkdApF_RQvQ

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Posted By: J Levine

Who was the last pitcher to straight steal home?

BIG Don Newcombe of Brooklyn!! Would have loved to see that!

Joshua