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Indianapolis Indians

Harrison Dazzles with Steal of Home

April 28, 2013 - International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


It's perhaps the most exciting play in baseball.

The straight steal of home: a daring, adrenaline rush-inducing, hold-your-breath move that only the boldest of the bold in the game of baseball attempt.

And despite the excitement and drama it elicits, it's happening less and less these days.

Consider: In major league history, 38 men have achieved the feat of stealing home at least 10 times in their career. Only two of them played after the year 1956: Rod Carew and Paul Molitor.

We all have the indelible image in our mind of perhaps the most famous theft of home plate of all-time, when Jackie Robinson dashed against Yogi Berra and the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 1955 World Series.

But as common as it was for No. 42 to unexpectedly break for the plate in his career, it has become an uncommon event since.

There were only three straight steal attempts in the major leagues last season, and two were successful: Bryce Harper on May 6th against the Phillies, and Everth Cabrera on July 14th against the Dodgers.

Compare that with a single player - the all-time leader in home plate thefts, Ty Cobb - stealing home an astounding 54 times from 1905-1928.

Baseball in the first-half of the 20th century was a different game in many respects, with more of an emphasis on strategy and small-ball. The steal of home plate is one of the plays that, while prevalent during that era, has diminished in frequency since.

But that didn't stop the Indians' Josh Harrison from harkening back to that time in Friday night's series finale against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Victory Field.

In the third inning, Harrison stood on third base with two outs and left fielder Felix Pie at the plate. As IronPigs starter B.J. Rosenberg tossed his fourth pitch to Pie, Harrison shocked everyone in the ballpark.

"I kind of saw his times to the plate [during] the first three pitches to Pie," Harrison said of Rosenberg, who opted to go into his wind-up with a man on third and failed to pay enough attention to the speedster.

"After Pie fouled one off I kind of looked at [Dean] Treanor at third and he looked at me and all he said was 'I'm right with you,' and I knew exactly what he meant."

What the Indians skipper and third base coach meant was for Harrison to try and accomplish the first successful straight steal of home plate for the team in nearly three years (Brian Friday, August 19, 2010 at Toledo).

As soon as Rosenberg went into his wind-up again, Harrison bolted for the dish, sliding in feet-first before IronPigs catcher Tommy Joseph could even lunge toward him to attempt a tag.

And lest you think this is a rare act for Harrison - and you'd have good reason to given how rare it is in baseball overall - he's done it before, multiple times.

"I know I did it in summer ball going into college," he said after the game. "It's something I always look to do whenever [the opportunity] presents itself."

Later in the game, it was evident that Lehigh Valley hadn't forgotten how Harrison had victimized the napping IronPigs in the third. After reaching on a fielder's choice and taking his lead at first base - and it was a big lead - Harrison forced reliever Mike Stutes to throw over to check on him several times, with the last move resulting in a balk.

"Anytime I get on base I want to wreak havoc," Harrison explained, "and try to get in the pitcher's head whether I'm stealing or not. I was looking for a spot to go, and I know anytime I'm over there they're going to worry about me."

As for whether the rarity of his theft of home had sunk in, Harrison said he knows that it's not something that's seen very often.

"They talk about it being a lost art," he reflected. "Anytime you can watch how guys who were successful did it, you can learn from them."

The Indians infielder was talking about those who preceded him, like Cobb, Robinson, Carew, and Molitor.

And after Friday night, Harrison has joined the ranks of those who have accomplished the spectacular feat of swiping home plate during their careers.

"[Growing up] I was always watching people who stole a lot of bases, because I wanted it to be part of my game," Harrison said.

"We all dream about it."

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