One of the most thrilling plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) is a stolen base. A degree of excitement and suspense is always added to the game by the cat-and-mouse game between the pitcher and the runner.
When the pitcher is facing the batter and a player who is already on base tries to advance to the next base, it is called a steal. The pitcher can throw to the baseman to get the runner out if he strays too far from the starting base.
Normally, the player makes the decision to run as soon as the pitcher throws his pitch. The catcher now has the responsibility of delivering the ball to the base that the runner is attempting to steal. The runner in issue has been caught stealing if the catcher is successful.
Yadier Molina, a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, has a career catch percentage of slightly over 40%, making him the MLB player with the highest rate of runners caught.
It is not simple to steal bases, and it is getting harder and harder. With 1,959 bases stolen during the season, 1999 set a record for most bases stolen in MLB history. It dropped to 1,261 in 2022. This shows how scouting reports are beginning to be used in the league and how catchers are becoming more intelligent.
Texas Rangers, who stole 128 bases in 2022, led all teams in base stealing. The player with the most steals was Miami Marlins player Jon Berti, who had 41 total. With 122 thefts as a group, the Marlins were second.
According to statistics, second base has been burglarized more often than third and home plate combined. This is because the second base is the hardest base to throw to because it is the furthest base from the catcher. Moreover, because the runner is already in scoring position when he is positioned at second base, stealing the third base is frequently perceived as being overly hazardous.
A stolen base in the MLB may make or break the contest
One of the MLB’s most exciting aspects continues to be the art of base stealing. Some athletes are skilled thieves who frequently get away with their crimes.
A new pitch-clock regulation will be in place by 2023 to guarantee that pitchers deliver pitches within a predetermined window of time. Some people think that this can lead to an increase in thefts.
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