Dan Turkenkopf posted an article on stealing home at The Hardball Times today, and his findings were too juicy to ignore. He found 25 instances of an attempted straight steal of home since 2000, with 15 successful and 10 failing. There was one particular team that was victimized four times, and one pitcher that was embarrassed three times. That team, of course, is the Yankees, and the pitcher is Andy Pettitte. Pettitte has been on the losing end of a straight steal of home three times: once by Jacoby Ellsbury, once by lightning quick Aaron Hill, and once by world class sprinter Mike Sweeney. The author concludes:
And if you really want to be successful stealing home, be sure to go when Andy Pettitte is on the mound.
Why do I bring this up? Because Jacoby Ellsbury’s steal of home is now part of every single ESPN MLB broadcast, as if it were the greatest play of all time. I am certain that it will at least be nominated for an ESPY, and Red Sox fans here in Boston have been referring to it as the gutsiest move of all time. Considering that it had happened to Andy Pettitte twice before, both in instances where it gave the opposition the lead, it seems that the play was not as unique as it is being presented to us by ESPN. I, for one, am shocked.
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4 Responses to The Steal of Home And ESPN
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TIQ IQ
Maybe it’s time you move out of Red Sox Nation and back to the Evil Empire…
I blame Steve Berthiaume
Of course it’s the greatest play in the history of baseball, I mean look at the situation, a baseball game in April on national TV, america’s darling Red Sox playing the hated Yanks, (note the sarcasm), what I though was crazy about it, was that they were trying to compare it to the Jackie Robinson steal against the Yanks in the World Series.
Don’t worry, Mo. When the Yanks win the WS this year they will be shoving the Yanks down everyone’s throats.