Caught stealing twice in a World Series game
Posted by John Autin on October 25, 2011
In game 5, Allen Craig became the 10th man ever to be caught stealing twice in one World Series game. He has at least one edge on the rest of them, though: the breath of life.
| Rk | Player | Date | Series | Gm# | Tm | Opp | Rslt | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | SH | SF | ROE | GDP | SB | CS | WPA | RE24 | BOP | Pos. Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allen Craig | 2011-10-24 | WS | 5 | STL | TEX | L 2-4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.141 | -1.452 | 1.547 | 2 | RF |
| 2 | Billy Martin | 1955-09-28 | WS | 1 | NYY | BRO | W 6-5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.036 | -0.419 | .602 | 7 | 2B |
| 3 | Mickey Livingston | 1945-10-03 | WS | 1 | CHC | DET | W 9-0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.065 | 0.911 | .260 | 7 | C |
| 4 | Jo-Jo White | 1934-10-08 | WS | 6 | DET | STL | L 3-4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.146 | -0.592 | 1.410 | 1 | CF |
| 5 | Freddie Lindstrom | 1924-10-08 | WS | 5 | NYG | WSH | W 6-2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.076 | 1.406 | .811 | 1 | 3B |
| 6 | Hi Myers | 1920-10-10 | WS | 5 | BRO | CLE | L 1-8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.032 | -0.326 | .466 | 5 | CF |
| 7 | Jimmy Johnston | 1916-10-09 | WS | 2 | BRO | BOS | L 1-2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.257 | -1.289 | 1.588 | 1 | RF |
| 8 | Fred Luderus | 1915-10-08 | WS | 1 | PHI | BOS | W 3-1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.069 | -0.597 | 1.044 | 5 | 1B |
| 9 | Fred Snodgrass | 1911-10-14 | WS | 1 | NYG | PHA | W 2-1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.035 | -0.436 | 1.617 | 3 | CF |
| 10 | Frank Schulte | 1910-10-23 | WS | 5 | CHC | PHA | L 2-7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.109 | -0.860 | .900 | 2 | RF |
| 11 | Frank Schulte | 1910-10-17 | WS | 1 | CHC | PHA | L 1-4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.019 | -0.277 | .705 | 2 | RF |
There's still time for Craig to join Wildfire Schulte as the only ones with 2 such games, but he'll be hard-pressed to match the "success" rate: Schulte had 2 SB and a record 7 CS in 21 WS games.
Only 2 of these players managed a positive WPA:
-- Freddie Lindstrom ended 2 innings with a CS, including a try for home with NL RBI champ High Pockets Kelly at bat! But he also had 4 hits off Walter Johnson, and drove in the first and last runs of a 6-2 victory. (Still, NYG pitcher Jack Bentley was the game's offensive star, with a tie-breaking 2-run HR among his 2 hits. Bentley's blast was the 3rd WS HRs by a pitcher, and came just 2 days after his teammate Rosy Ryan hit the 2nd one in the Giants' game-3 win.)
-- Mickey Livingston, a catcher who stole 2 bases all year and 7 in his career, was caught stealing to end both the 1st and 3rd innings. But each of those was preceded by his RBI single, and at the time of his first CS, the Cubs already led 4-0 en route to a 9-0 whitewash.
Other notes:
-- Billy Martin's 2nd CS was a try for home, following his 2-out triple, with pinch-hitter Eddie Robinson at bat. (BTW, Robinson that year hit 16 HRs in just 215 ABs, but also batted just .208 -- 36 hits in 173 ABs -- with 1 double and no triples. His ratio of HRs to extra-base hits is unique in MLB history, and the ratio of hits to HRs is topped only by the likes of Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Frank Thomas. He also went 2 for 3 with 2 walks and a HBP in that Series.)
-- On JoJo White's 1st CS, he wound up safe at 2nd thanks to Frankie Frisch's error, and scored the tying run moments later on Mickey Cochrane's 2-out single. But in the 7th inning, White had a hand in a devastating turn of events for Detroit: With 1 out and the tying run on 3rd base, he grounded to SS Leo Durocher, who cut down the runner at the plate. White then tried to steal again and was thrown out by catcher Bill DeLancey, as Frisch held on this time, ending the inning. The Tigers lost that 6th game, and the Cards romped home the next day. (The last out of game 6 -- a fly to deep CF -- was made by SP Schoolboy Rowe, who hit .303 with 22 RBI that year. It was the 4th and last time that a pitcher made the final out in a postseason game.)
-- Hi Myers had the most situationally dubious steal attempts. With his Dodgers down 4-0 to Cleveland and 1 out in the 4th, Myers tried to swipe 3rd but was thrown out by Steve O'Neill. After the gap swelled to 8-0 with the help of Jim Bagby's 3-run HR -- the 1st WS HR by a pitcher -- Myers tried to steal 2nd and would have been out but for O'Neill's throwing error. Myers wound up scoring Brooklyn's only run in the 9th, but the Indians won game 5 and the next 2 to capture the best-of-9 Series by 5-2 and claim the club's only championship before WWII.
-- Jimmy Johnston's 1st CS came with his Dodgers leading 1-0 ... on an inside-the-park HR by Hi Myers. Johnston had singled right after pitcher Sherry Smith was thrown out trying to stretch a double, but Johnston's 2-out steal attempt was foiled by Boston's Pinch Thomas. (Pinch Thomas also appeared for Cleveland in the Hi Myers game above, as -- of course -- a pinch-hitter. And in this game, he hit a 2-out triple in the 5th, but was stranded when the pitcher struck out. That pitcher -- George Herman something -- went 0-5 at bat, but drove in his team's first run with a groundout, and blanked the Dodgers over the last 13 innings for his first postseason win and the start of his legendary WS scoreless-inning streak.
-- Ty Cobb (not listed above) was thrown out 3 times in 6 WS attempts -- once each on Oct. 12 of 1907, 1908 and 1909.
P.S. Allen Craig is 0 for 9 since his HR leading off game 3. I hope his 15 minutes aren't up!
October 25th, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Wow Eddie Robinson! What an odd season!
October 25th, 2011 at 11:04 pm
Billy Martin's attempted steal of home apparently inspired Jackie Robinson who successfully (and famously) pulled it off two innings later, Berra's protestations notwithstanding.
Robinson employed the more convential tack of stealing home against a lefty (Whitey Ford). Martin tried his steal against righty Don Bessent - can't imagine he got a good jump. Bluffing the steal might have been a better bet - could induce a balk by a right-hander if timed correctly.
October 26th, 2011 at 12:07 am
So, why was LaRussa (apparently) trying the hit-and-run not once, but twice with Pujols up? Was he really that concerned about Albert going GIDP?
Just seems like a very odd call with a premier hitter at bat. Let the man hit.
BTW, anyone know the story behind the first play? Did Albert or Craig not get the sign, or get a sign that wasn't given. If Pujols really did miss the sign, it was probably irrelevant anyway. The pitch was so far up and away, can't imagine he could have got a bat on it even if he was trying to.
October 26th, 2011 at 10:08 am
@3, Doug -- What I've read is that Albert put on the hit-and-run himself in the first instance, and I believe LaRussa called the second one.
BTW, Albert's full-count split this year compared to the rest of his career is interesting, in that (a) he had far fewer of them than usual and (b) he hit very poorly. It's a small sample and I've no idea whether it was a factor in that 9th-inning hit-and-run, but here's the link:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/split_stats.cgi?full=1¶ms=count%7CFull%20Count%7Cpujolal01%7Cbat%7CAB%7C
October 26th, 2011 at 11:33 am
Anybody that has "achieved" this fete other than Craig has been dead for over 20 years - Including Billy Martin - hard to believe he has been gone that long.
October 26th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Great post, John Autin -- really fun info. (You had me at "High Pockets" Kelly). Keep 'em coming ...
October 26th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
High Pockets Kelly incidentally is generally regarded as one of the weakest Hall of Fame selections. #3. There were several lengthy discussions on baseballprimer about those issues.
October 26th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
@4.
John, thanks for the info on Pujols. As you say, small sample size for 2011, so probably wouldn't read too much into it. Hope TLR didn't either.
Pretty unfortunate for Pujols to call the hit-and-run himself and then not even make a swing on the pitch. But, as I said, the pitch was so far outside he had no chance to make contact - probably showed good discipline is not making a futile swing on an unhittable pitch.
October 26th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
Of course these weren't really "caught stealings", even though they will go into the books that way, as Craig wasn't trying to steal 2nd so much as hit and run the first time and running with the pitch the 2nd time. Unfortunately the score book categories don't separate the true steal attempts from the other situations where the runner is going. If he is tagged out he gets charged with a CS even if the real fault is the batter chasing ball 4. If you see career figures where the SB% is 55% or less in more than a few attempts, you probably have a lot of blown hit and runs, rather than a very bad base stealer who keeps running.
October 26th, 2011 at 5:02 pm
@7/ Stan Cook:
"High Pockets Kelly incidentally is generally regarded as one of the weakest Hall of Fame selections..."
Stan, I'm sure you know about this, but I'll add that Kelly was one of a number of "Friends Of Frankie Frisch", as Bill James put it in his book about the HOF. Frisch was chairman of the Veteran's Committee of the HOF in the early 70's, and he (with help from Bob Broeg, a respected St. Louis writer), made a number of rather questionable HOF choices, such as Jesse Haines, Dave Bancroft, Chick Hafey, Rube Marquard, Ross Youngs, and Jim Bottomley.
Not coincidentally, all of these players happened to be teammates of his, on the Giants or Cardinals.
@9/ Kds - Good points on the limitations of baserunning/ base-stealing stats; I guess no one thought "out-at-second through blown hit and run" was worth tracking separately.
A pet peeve of mine is that "reached on error" for individual batters is not tallied, even though HBP is, and I'm guessing more batters reach on errors than HBP (Utley, Biggio, Baylor, or Hunt-type batters aside).
October 26th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
@10, Lawrence -- Reached on error is tallied for individual batters, and is available on every batter's "Batting" page on B-R, under the heading "Baserunning & Misc. Stats". For instance, Ichiro Suzuki:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/suzukic01-bat.shtml#batting_baserunning::none
And yes, ROE were slightly more common than HBP last year: 1,816 ROE; 1,554 HBP.
However, the spread for individual batters is much larger for HBP. The leader in ROE last year was Omar Infante, with 13; the leader in HBP was Carlos Quentin with 22, and 8 other players had at least 13 HBP.
The top ROE figure in the last 10 years is 16, by 4 players (last by D.Jeter in 2007). The top figure in HBP in the last 10 years is 30 (Craig Wilson, 2004), and there were 57 player-seasons of at least 17 HBP.
October 26th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
@11/ John Autin -
Thanks for pointing out where Reached On Error are - I'm used to going to "Standard Batting" first here at B-R. Logistic question - why are SB/ CS listed under "Standard Batting", but ROE is under "Baserunning & Misc. Stats"?
Seriously, would "out-at-second through blown hit and run" be worth tracking? How often does it happen? Would this be the equivalent of separating Runs Scored into "scored through normal base advancement" and "scored by taking the extra base on a hit"?
October 27th, 2011 at 4:14 am
P.S. Allen Craig is 0 for 9 since his HR leading off game 3. I hope his 15 minutes aren't up!
John, if the Tigers had reached the World Series, you'd have been praying for Allen Craig's quick consignment to the outer darkness. (-;þ
October 27th, 2011 at 7:29 am
Cardinals ran themselves right out of a game!
The SB will never go back to its pre-1970s levels, baseball men (especially publicity men) will continue to promote it like crazy. It is one of those ironies. In all but the extremely low end run scoring environment (ca. 1912), it is lousy strategy but great entertainment.
That's the weird thing about Billy Martin, one of my all time favorite managers (this is a Yankee hater writing) being on this list. Billy Martin's manager in 1955 was Casey Stengel. In his managing days, he used the SB, but wisely. So did Casey.
October 27th, 2011 at 8:21 am
[...] the World Series. In the seventh and ninth inning of the close and crucial Game 5, Allen Craig was thrown out with one of baseball’s best hitters, Albert Pujols, at the plate. The Cardinals had six [...]
October 27th, 2011 at 10:06 am
Actually, the Indians were never behind 3 games to 1 in the 1920 Series. This was one of the three best-5-of-9 Series, don't forget, which is easy to ascertain when you notice that they won the Series 5 games to 2.
Anyway, the order of the wins by Cleveland and Brooklyn went like this:
C B B C C C C
So the Indians were down 2 to 1, and then they won 4 in a row.
October 27th, 2011 at 11:26 am
@16, Phil Gaskill -- Thanks for the correction. Obviously, I saw that they won games 5 (the one discussed herein), 6 and 7 to capture the Series, but failed to notice that it was a best-of-9, and thus assumed wrongly that they'd been down 3-1.
October 27th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
@14, Nesnhab: "[Billy Martin] used the SB, but wisely."
Begging your pardon, but except when he had Rickey Henderson and other top base-stealers, I see no evidence that Billy Martin was any wiser than a conventional manager as regards base stealing.
Here are his first 4 teams managed, with before, during and after:
1968 Twins (before Billy) -- 98 SB (3rd), 54 CS (4th), 64%.
1969 Twins (under Billy) -- 115 SB (4th), 70 CS (2nd), 62%.
1970 Twins (after Billy) -- 57 SB (8th), 52 CS (5th), 52%.
-- Billy's '69 Twins netted 17 more SB and 16 more CS than the year before; that's no gain.
1970 Tigers (before Billy) -- 29 SB (11th), 30 CS (11th), 49%.
1971 Tigers (under Billy) -- 35 SB (12th), 43 CS (8th), 45%.
1972 Tigers (under Billy) -- 17 SB (12th), 21 CS (12th), 45%.
1973 Tigers (mostly under Billy) -- 28 CS (12th), 30 CS (12th), 48%.
1974 Tigers (after Billy) -- 67 SB (10th), 38 CS (11th), 64%.
(Ron Leflore debuted in '74 with 23 CS and 9 CS, the first Tiger to swipe 20 since 1962.)
-- Martin's '71 Tigers netted 6 more SB but 13 more CS, and his '72 club must have set a record for fewest SB by a playoff team. Over his 3 years combined, they ran about as often (rarely) and about as successfully (not) as they had before he got there.
1973 Rangers (mostly before Billy) -- 91 SB (6th), 53 CS (7th), 63%.
1974 Rangers (under Billy) -- 115 SB (5th), 80 CS (2nd), 59%.
1975 Rangers (mostly under Billy) -- 102 SB (6th), 62 CS (6th), 62%.
1976 Rangers (after Billy) -- 87 SB (10th), 45 CS (12th), 66%.
-- Martin's '74 Rangers netted 24 more SB and 27 more CS. In their first year after Billy, they dropped 15 SB but 17 CS.
1974 Yankees (before Billy) -- 53 SB (12th), 35 CS (12th), 54%.
1975 Yankees (mostly before Billy) -- 102 SB (6th), 59 CS (7th), 63%.
(New addition Bobby Bonds stole 30, and Sandy Alomar returned to his established level after an off year in the SB dept.)
1976 Yankees (under Billy) -- 163 SB (3rd), 65 CS (7th), 71%.
(The team lost Bonds, but added Mickey Rivers (43-7) and Willie Randolph (37-12).)
1977 Yankees (under Billy) -- 93 SB (7th), 57 CS (9th), 62%.
(Rivers went 22-14 and Randolph 13-6.)
(1978-79 Yankees are too splintered among managers to be worth counting here; Martin managed about half of that time.)
1980 Yankees (after Billy) -- 86 SB (9th), 36 SB (14th), 70%.
1979 A's (before Billy) -- 104 SB (5th), 69 CS (4th), 60%.
(Rickey as a rookie went 33-11.)
1980 A's (under Billy) -- 175 SB (2nd), 82 CS (1st), 68%.
(Rickey went 100-26 ... the rest of the team was 75-56, 57%. KC led the league with 185 SB and a far better 81% success rate.)
1981 A's (under Billy, stats prorated to 162G) -- 146 SB (4th), 70 CS (4th), 68%.
(Rickey was 56-22, the rest of the team went 42-25, 63%.)
1982 A's (under Billy) -- 232 SB (1st), 87 CS (1st), 73%.
1983 A's (after Billy) -- 235 SB (1st), 98 CS (1st), 71%.
-- The '83 A's under Boros ran almost exactly as often and as well as they had under Billy.
For the sake of brevity -- ha-ha! -- I'll stop there.
It seems to me that, when he had race horses, Billy let them run about as much as most managers would have. When he had Clydesdales like the 1970s Tigers, he kept them roped to the base as any manager would.
Is there something else I should look at?
October 27th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
@18 John Autin, you have me. I had no idea that Billy used the running game so much. He always struck me as a big-inning manager. All the same, I don't see how running had anything to do with his success. Maybe his players were scared to lose?
October 27th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
Maybe I forgot he liked running because he so seldom walked to the mound to remove a pitcher.