Friday, January 05, 2007

The Schaefer Double/Triple Steal

I was cruising around the internet and came across a great story about a deadball era player and a double steal you will not believe. I'll start by asking, how can you possibly get 3 stolen bases on 3 consecutive pitches and still not ever get past 2nd base?
Well, Ghost in the Dugout tells us how.
"The Tigers were playing Cleveland in a close game. (Davy) Jones was on third and (Herman Germany) Schaefer was on first. Schaefer bolted for second, trying to draw a throw from the Indian catcher to give Jones a chance to score on the double steal. The catcher chose not to make the attempt. With Tigers on second and third and Sam Crawford at the plate, it seemed the game would go on in a typical manner. But nothing was typical about Germany Schaefer. On the next pitch, Schaeffer let out a blood curdling scream and sprinted back to first. The catcher was too stunned to do anything but stand there with the ball in his hand. The umpires after a long discussion allowed the "steal" and on the next pitch, Schaefer again took off for second. The third time was the charm; the catcher attempted to throw out Schaefer, Jones took off for home, and both base runners were safe."
Sounds like the "Wild West" of Baseball.

Photo Link: eBay:

2 comments:

  1. That is just awesome -- sounds like a scene out of Major League. :)

    If I read the modern rules correctly -- see 7.08(i) -- you can't go backwards, but wouldn't that be hilarious?

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  2. Actually, Ghosts in the Dugout mentions the comment to 7.01 which I missed scanning the rules too quickly: "If a runner legally acquires title to a base, and the pitcher assumes his pitching position, the runner may not return to a previously occupied base."

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