Forty-One Year Old Pitcher Orlando Hernandez Steals a Base in Consecutive Games
Any time a pitcher ties Hall of Famer Tom Seaver in the record book, it is a notable achievement.
Mets RHP Orlando Hernandez accomplished that feat, albeit in a most unusual category. The 41-year-old Orlando Hernandez became the first pitcher since Tom Seaver in his rookie season of 1967 to steal a base in consecutive starts when he swiped second base versus the Padres in the Mets' 7-0 win July 17th in San Diego.
With the Mets leading 1-0, Orlando Hernandez led off the fifth inning with a single versus Padres starter Jake Peavy. He stole second base and later came in to score on Jose Valentin's single to center field.
Orlando Hernandez also stole second base in the second inning in his previous start, which came July 12th versus the Reds and pitcher Bronson Arroyo. He advanced to third on a wild pitch but did not score in the inning.
Tom Seaver recorded his first career steal May 17th 1967 against the Braves. The opposing battery that day was Phil Niekro and Joe Torre. Tom Seaver, who already had three hits in the game including two doubles, walked in the eighth inning and proceeded to steal second base. He was left stranded at second and ended up the losing pitcher in the game, as Torre got revenge by hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to give Atlanta a 4-3 win.
In his next outing on May 22nd, Tom Seaver swiped second versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. The opposing battery in that game was Bill Singer and John Roseboro. Tom Seaver led off the third inning with a walk. He later advanced to third on a single but was left stranded at third base. The Mets went on to win the game 4-2, thanks to back-to-back RBI singles in the seventh inning by Cleon Jones and Ron Swoboda.
Mets RHP Orlando Hernandez accomplished that feat, albeit in a most unusual category. The 41-year-old Orlando Hernandez became the first pitcher since Tom Seaver in his rookie season of 1967 to steal a base in consecutive starts when he swiped second base versus the Padres in the Mets' 7-0 win July 17th in San Diego.
With the Mets leading 1-0, Orlando Hernandez led off the fifth inning with a single versus Padres starter Jake Peavy. He stole second base and later came in to score on Jose Valentin's single to center field.
Orlando Hernandez also stole second base in the second inning in his previous start, which came July 12th versus the Reds and pitcher Bronson Arroyo. He advanced to third on a wild pitch but did not score in the inning.
Tom Seaver recorded his first career steal May 17th 1967 against the Braves. The opposing battery that day was Phil Niekro and Joe Torre. Tom Seaver, who already had three hits in the game including two doubles, walked in the eighth inning and proceeded to steal second base. He was left stranded at second and ended up the losing pitcher in the game, as Torre got revenge by hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to give Atlanta a 4-3 win.
In his next outing on May 22nd, Tom Seaver swiped second versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. The opposing battery in that game was Bill Singer and John Roseboro. Tom Seaver led off the third inning with a walk. He later advanced to third on a single but was left stranded at third base. The Mets went on to win the game 4-2, thanks to back-to-back RBI singles in the seventh inning by Cleon Jones and Ron Swoboda.
- All stats are from the amazing
Comments
I don't follow baseball and I was surprised that pitchers still get at-bats. Maybe it is just an American League thing. One of my favorite games was when Fritz Petersen hit a grand slam homerun in overtime to win a game. The guys that set the early records played tougher, so that perhaps as the rules of the game and equipement, turf changed, perhaps new recordkeeping should have been started.
i witnessed both of these events...over TV of course. this past weekend was, well, painful to watch
Dave
(Guest)
(Guest)
08/05/2007
Yet another historic fact that somehow passed me by. Thanks for the enlightenment!
The DH is a gimmick. I can see someone defending its use because it allows old, fat, injury-prone people to stay in the game. But baseball is supposed to be about people making a contribution in more than one way. If you want the benefit of someone's bat in the lineup, you need to live with their deficiencies in other areas. And the same holds true with fielders. If the DH is truly a good idea, why stop at pitchers? Why don't we turn it into football where we have one team hitting and one team fielding? Having pitchers hit is definitely more pure and more interesting. Your team is losing 1-0 in the seventh inning when your pitcher comes up. Do you pinch-hit for him? Your bullpen has been used heavily and your team trails 6-3 in the fifth inning. Pitcher up with bases loaded and two outs. Do you let him hit? To me, that's interesting and you just don't get that with a DH.
Dr. D - I know you're not a baseball fan and I appreciate you reading this article. And I love that comment! With your permission, I'm going to steal that line and use it for other CPs work.
- Kilroy was here -
Alex
(Guest)
(Guest)
07/31/2007
Sid Fernandez stole a base ???????
El Duque has started one additional game between when I wrote this article and when it was published. He did not steal a base, but went 7 IP with 1 ER and 8 SO and picked up the win. He also appeared as a pinch-runner in a game but did not get a stolen base.
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