The all-time stolen base leader, Rickey Henderson, swipes third in 1988. Rickey Henley Henderson (born as Rickey Nelson Henley, December 25 1958 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball Outfielder Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar)

In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each In Baseball, baserunning is the act of running around the bases performed by members of the team at bat In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of A baseball field or baseball diamond is the field upon which the game of Baseball is played In baseball statistics, stolen bases are denoted by SB. Statistics play an important role in summarizing Baseball performance and evaluating players in the Sport. Successful base-stealing requires not just simple running speed, but also good base-running instincts, quickness, and split-second timing.

Background

In the 19th century, stolen bases were credited when a baserunner reached an extra base on a base hit from another player. ^[1] For example if a runner on first base reached third base on a single, it would count as a steal. First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in Baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of In 1887, Hugh Nicol set a still-standing Major League record with 138 stolen bases,^[2] many of which would not have counted under modern rules. Hugh Nicol ( January 1, 1858 in Campsie, Scotland - June 27 1921) was an American Outfielder in ^[1] However the first recorded stolen base under modern rules occurred in 1865 when Eddie Cuthbert decided to make it to second base on his own rather than wait for the hit. Modern steal rules were implemented in 1898, and steals are now only credited when a runner successfully takes an extra base while the ball is being pitched, but not already hit. Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common If the ball is dead on the pitch run on, such as from a foul ball (except caught fly-out), the steal is not allowed and the runner returns to his time-of-pitch base. In addition, if the situation of the game is such that the steal is of little use (usually in the late innings when the runner would not change the game's outcome by scoring), and the catcher does not attempt to throw out the runner, the runner is not credited with a steal, and the base is attributed to defensive indifference. In Baseball, a stolen base occurs when a Baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the Pitcher is delivering the ball to Home plate ^[3]

Graph depicting the yearly number of home runs (blue line) and stolen bases (pink line) per MLB game. The two primary periods in which the stolen base was popular were before 1920 and again in the 1970s and 1980s.

Base stealing was popular in the game's early decades, with speedsters such as Ty Cobb and Clyde Milan stealing nearly 100 bases in a season. Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb (December 18 1886 – July 17 1961 nicknamed " The Georgia Peach," was a baseball player and is regarded by historians Jesse Clyde Milan ( March 25 1887 – March 3 1953) was an American Baseball player who spent his entire career as But the tactic fell into relative disuse after Babe Ruth introduced the era of the home run – in 1955, for example, no one in baseball stole more than 25 bases. George Herman Ruth Jr (February 6 1895 &ndash August 16 1948 also popularly known as " Babe " " The Bambino " and " The Sultan of Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) However, in the late 1950s and early 1960s base-stealing was brought back to prominence primarily by Luis Aparicio and Maury Wills, who broke Cobb's modern single-season record by stealing 104 bases in 1962. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel (born April 29, 1934) is a former Shortstop in Professional baseball and a member of the Baseball Hall of Maurice Morning Wills (born October 2 1932 in Washington DC) is a former Major League Baseball Shortstop and switch-hitting Artistic Gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Men's all-around champion Yuri Titov, USSR Wills' record was broken in turn by Lou Brock in 1974, and Rickey Henderson in 1982. Louis Clark "Lou" Brock (born June 18, 1939, El Dorado Arkansas) is an American former player in Major League Baseball Artistic Gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Men's all-around champion Shigeru Kasamatsu, Japan Rickey Henley Henderson (born as Rickey Nelson Henley, December 25 1958 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball Outfielder Athletics For an extensive coverage see 1982 in athletics (track and field Marathon The stolen base remained a popular tactic through the 1980s, perhaps best exemplified by Vince Coleman and the St. Louis Cardinals, but began to decline again in the 1990s as the frequency of home runs reached unprecedented heights and the steal-friendly artificial turf ballparks began to disappear. This is for the baseball player For the heroic train dispatcher see Vince Coleman (train dispatcher. The St Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards " or "the Redbirds " are a professional Baseball team based in St Artificial turf, or synthetic turf, is a man-made surface manufactured from synthetic materials made to look like natural Grass.

Technique and strategy

A base-stealing runner must begin running as soon as the pitcher has committed himself to throwing a pitch to home plate, neither sooner nor later. If he begins to run too soon, the pitcher may throw to a base rather than to home — in this case, the runner is picked off, and will most likely be tagged out. Before the pitch, the runner will often take a lead-off, walking several steps away from the base as a head start for his next advance. In some cases, the pitcher may hold the runner on by throwing to the base several times before pitching, in the hope of dissuading the runner from too big a lead-off. This action can also result in the runner being tagged out in a pick-off. Another popular strategy is for the runner to attempt a steal while the hitter is instructed to swing at the pitch if it is at all hittable. This hit-and-run play can give the runner a good head start to take an extra base on the hit. A hit and run is a play in Baseball in which the Baserunners are in motion before the ball is hit and the batter attempts to make contact with the But if the hitter fails to hit the ball, the hit-and-run becomes a pure steal attempt, and the runner may be thrown out. Another risk of the hit-and-run is that a caught line drive could result in an easy double play, although this is offset by the lower likelihood of a ground ball double play. In Baseball, a line drive is a type of Batted ball, sharply hit and on (or slightly above a level Trajectory. This article is about Baseball. For double play Magnetic tape, see Audio tape length and thickness.

A second and lesser-known technique is the "delayed" steal. This technique, famously practiced by Eddie Stanky of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is where the runner does not break immediately for second when the pitcher commits to the plate. Edward Raymond Stanky ( September 3, 1916 - June 16, 1999) nicknamed "The Brat" was an American Second baseman The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Instead the runner takes two or three large shuffles off the base when the pitcher goes to the plate. This keys the middle infielders and the catcher to let their guard down, as it appears the runner is not stealing, but only getting a good secondary lead in case the ball is hit. In reality the delayed stealer is closing distance with second base. When the ball crosses the plate the runner breaks for second base, and is essentially stealing the base on the middle infielders who have not covered second base. Additionally, the catcher is not ready to come out of his crouch and cannot throw to second until an infielder gets there. The delayed steal is a deceptive technique that is sometimes executed by even slow runners and many times results in a catcher throwing into center field. The technique is rarely seen at the Major League level but is used effectively by multiple college programs.

Second base is the base most often stolen. Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that It is also technically the easiest to steal, as it is farthest from home plate and thus a longer throw from the catcher is required to prevent it. Third base is a shorter throw for the catcher, and thus more difficult to steal, though a right-handed batter can sometimes help by serving as an obstacle that the catcher must throw around. A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in Baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of Third base is generally stolen off the pitcher, since a bigger lead is possible off second base. It is possible for a player to steal home plate, but this requires great daring and aggressiveness as the ball will almost certainly arrive at home plate before the runner. A baseball field or baseball diamond is the field upon which the game of Baseball is played Thus a sacrifice bunt or squeeze play is typically used instead. In Baseball, the squeeze play is a maneuver consisting of a Sacrifice bunt with a runner on Third base. Ty Cobb holds the records for most steals of home in a single season (8) as well as for a career (54). Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb (December 18 1886 – July 17 1961 nicknamed " The Georgia Peach," was a baseball player and is regarded by historians Jackie Robinson was also renowned for the thrilling feat of stealing home, which he famously accomplished in Game 1 of the 1955 World Series. Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31 1919 – October 24 1972 was a Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The 1955 World Series matched the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in 7 games to capture their first championship In more recent decades, a pure steal of home is hardly ever attempted, although home plate is still occasionally stolen during a "delayed double steal," in which a runner on first base attempts to steal second while the runner on third base breaks for home as soon as the catcher throws to second base.

The expression "You can't steal first base" is sometimes used in reference to a player who is fast but not very good at getting on base in the first place. First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run In Baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP (sometimes referred to as on-base average ', as the statistic is rarely presented as a true Percentage) Although a batter can run to first base in the rare instance that the catcher fails to catch a third strike, such a play (if the batter is successful) is not recorded as a steal of first base, but as a strikeout plus a passed ball or wild pitch. In Baseball or Softball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by SO or K) occurs when a batter receives three strikes In Baseball, a Catcher is charged with a passed ball when he fails to hold or control a legally pitched ball that with ordinary effort should have been In Baseball, a wild pitch (abbreviated WP) is charged against a Pitcher when his pitch is too high too short or too wide of Home In baseball's earlier decades, a runner on second base could "steal" first base, perhaps with the intention of drawing a throw which might allow a runner on third to score (a tactic famously employed by Germany Schaefer). Herman A "Germany" Schaefer ( February 4, 1877 – May 16, 1919) was a Second baseman in Major League Baseball However, such a tactic was not recorded as a stolen base, and modern rules forbid going backwards on the basepaths in order to confuse the defense or make a travesty of the game.

Base stealing is an important characteristic of a particular style of baseball, sometimes called "small ball" or "manufacturing runs". In the sport of Baseball, small-ball is an informal and colloquial term for an offensive strategy in which the batting team emphasizes placing runners on base and A team playing with this style emphasizes doing little things (including risky running plays like base-stealing) to advance runners and score runs, often relying on pitching and defense to keep games close. The Los Angeles Dodgers of the 1960's, led by pitcher Sandy Koufax and speedy shortstop Maury Wills, were a successful example of this style. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Sanford Koufax (ˈkoʊfæks (born Sanford Braun, on December 30, 1935) is an American Left-handed former Pitcher in Maurice Morning Wills (born October 2 1932 in Washington DC) is a former Major League Baseball Shortstop and switch-hitting The antithesis of this would be a team that relies on power hitting. The Baltimore Orioles of the 1970's, led by manager Earl Weaver, were an example of such a "slugging" team that aspired to score most of its runs via home runs. The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. Earl Sidney Weaver (born August 14, 1930 in St Louis Missouri) is a former Major League Baseball manager. Often the "small ball" model is associated with the National League, while power hitting is seen as more associated with the American League. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League ( AL) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in However, some of the more successful American League teams of recent memory, including the 2002 Anaheim Angels, the 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 2005 Chicago White Sox have experienced their success in part as a result of playing "small ball" advancing runners through means such as the stolen base and the related hit and run play. Champions Major League Baseball Regular Season Champions Other champions Caribbean World Series: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. Champions Major League Baseball Regular Season Champions Other champions Caribbean World Series: The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington, United States. 2005 Major League Baseball season Headline events of the year Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros to win the World Series The Chicago White Sox are a professional Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. A hit and run is a play in Baseball in which the Baserunners are in motion before the ball is hit and the batter attempts to make contact with the Successful teams often combine both styles, with a speedy runner or two complementing hitters with power, such as the 2005 White Sox, who despite playing "small ball", still hit 200 home runs that season

See also

• Lead Off
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases

References

External links

• Baseball-Almanac.com list of All-Time Career stolen bases leaders