Baseball

kairos12

(13,366 posts) Wed Oct 31, 2018, 08:49 AM Oct 2018

Only 2 players in history hit 400 home runs and stole home 10 or more times (career). Guesses?

Babe Ruth-stole home 10 times.
Lou Gehrig-stole home 15 times.

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Only 2 players in history hit 400 home runs and stole home 10 or more times (career). Guesses? (Original Post) kairos12 Oct 2018 OP

Didn't Get Them ProfessorGAC Oct 2018 #1

*one* steal of home is impressive! unblock Oct 2018 #2

Hard to believe a big guy like Ruth could steal home. marble falls Oct 2018 #3

I think my history is right kairos12 Oct 2018 #5

Amazing. But then Ruth himself was amazing. marble falls Oct 2018 #6

I would have guessed Mantle and Mays. Had no idea. dameatball Oct 2018 #4

I would have guessed Jackie Robinson was one of them Brother Buzz Oct 2018 #7

ProfessorGAC

(72,404 posts)

1. Didn't Get Them

Reply to kairos12 (Original post)

Wed Oct 31, 2018, 08:54 AM

Oct 2018

My first thought was Mays.

But now that i know the answers, it kind of makes sense.

Almost no pitchers worked from the stretch in those days. Nearly everyone used a full wind up and with a guy on third, the difference in time between full wind-up and stretch would be the difference between being out. Once pitchers started working from the stretch routinely, stealing home automatically became harder.

The Gehrig thing is really surprising, though. With Ruth, if he was on 3rd, the pitcher likely had to be really worried about Lou. Were pitchers as worried about Bill Dickey or Bob Muesel?

15 steals of home is pretty impressive.