Giants snap unusual stolen base streak
MLB adopted several changes this season to entice more base stealing. However, the San Francisco Giants didn't get the memo.
On Wednesday, the Giants snapped a remarkable streak of 27 straight games without attempting to steal a base. Per Baseball Reference, it's the longest time frame without an attempted base thievery by one team in 61 years.
After leading off the seventh inning with a single, Giants shortstop Thairo Estrada swiped second base, ending the dubious streak before it got out of hand.
Ahead of the 2023 season, the league tweaked a few rules, like limiting pitcher disengagements to two per baserunner while enlarging bases to shorten the distance needed to steal. While the Giants haven't taken advantage, much of the league has.
According to Codify Baseball, the stolen base average per nine innings is up from .52 in 2022 to .72 in 2023, the highest rate in over 20 years. The Cincinnati Reds lead the majors with 144 steals, while eight teams have eclipsed the century mark.
Meanwhile, stolen bases are up as a whole. Entering play Wednesday, there had been 2,669 total stolen bases in baseball, already more than all of last season (2,487).
With the base paths now open for business, baseball is seeing historic feats by the boatload. Recently, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. became only the fifth player, and first since Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson (1990), to hit more than 25 home runs and steal 55-plus bases in a season.
Furthermore, Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodriguez became the first player ever to record 14 hits and five stolen bases over a four-game span.
It seems like stolen bases are back and aren't going anywhere soon. Perhaps someone should fill in the Giants, who unsurprisingly entered the day last in MLB in steals, with only 46 on the year.
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