The catchers throw went astray, so he scampered on to third base. Lou and his 15 steals of home, same thing all came on double steals. 23 Edward Burns, Cubs Lose 8-5, in 11th; Boston Beats Sox, 4-3, Chicago Tribune, May 18, 1949: B1. It was a straight steal of home off pitcher Jim Hearn and catcher Wes Westrum. His only other stolen base was in Game One of the 1955 Series, on September 28. 43 Roscoe McGowen, Brooks Disappointed, Not Discouraged by Defeat and Showing of Newcombe, New York Times, September 29, 1955: 40. Reliever Paul LaPalme was brought in, and he might have been close to walking Johnny Podres. 3 Rube Samuelsen, Pasadena Post, July 10, 1937. The timing of his attempts was never the sabermetric ideal, but nobody knew the ideal then, and Robinson was frankly too intense a competitor to be a push-button ballplayer. Great article insightful and incredibly well researched. Brooklyn won the game, 6-3. Robinson bunted Rackley in for their third run. On June 24, 1947 the Brooklyn Dodgers' Jackie Robinson stole home for the first time in his career. Sandy Amoros doubled. LHPs accounted for roughly 30 percent of batters faced in this time frame, so Robinsons 31 percent rate shows no preference for testing the portsiders. Catcher Mickey Owen thought he got Robinson, though, and pushed the umpire [Art Gore] so violently that Gore went down. There is more to be mined here, and Jackie Robinsons career will benefit from further study. Hermanski walked, and then two executed a double steal. See Louis Effrat, Dodgers Set Back Cubs by 5 to 4 on Single by Edwards in the Ninth, New York Times, August 5, 1948: 26. Do you know what African-American made his debut 50+ years before Jackie? He was cut down at home, barely nipped at the plate to end the inning.19 The Dodgers got their fourth run on a seventh-inning leadoff home run by third baseman Tommy Brown, and won the game, 4-3. When Jackie made his big league debut on April 15, 1947, he broke the baseball color line and became the first African-American to play in the majors in the modern era. Did you know that Baseball Almanac, on the 30th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's death (October 24, 2002), created an enhanced box score of his legendary debut game which included the following fact Jackie Robinson was the first black player to take the field during an Opening Day game? Jackie Robinson stole home 19 times in his regular season career, and was caught stealing home 12 times, for a rate of 61.3 percent. BILL NOWLIN wishes the Red Sox had signed Jackie Robinson when they could have back in 1945. Five days later, the Dodgers were back home and hosting the Boston Braves. Related QnA: What is a glissando used for? Hermanski then doubled, scoring two, giving the Dodgers a 6-5 lead. Just remember the best base runners get caught, even Ty Cobb. That's not what umpire Bill Summers said when Robinson swiped home in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the 1955 World Series, much to Berra's famous protestations. One of Robinsons more startling moves was the time on Opening Day 1955 when he intentionally allowed himself to be hit by a batted ball in a game the Dodgers were leading, 1-0. This comes to 14.76 steals in 32 attempts, and Robinson made 20. 32 Roscoe McGowen, Banta Downs Cubs with 5-Hitter, 5-0, New York Times, August 21, 1949: 42. Did you know that Jackie Robinson successfully stole home nineteen times during his career, tied for the ninth most in baseball history? More recently, Rod Carew also had seven, for the 1969 Twins. Both Robinson and manager Walter Alston agreed that Robinson had stolen on his own account. Did you know that when the United States Post Office featured Jackie Robinson on a 20-cent postage stamp in 1982, it was the first time an individual big leaguer ever received the honor? Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted With two outs, he stole second, taking third base on a throwing error by the catcher. Feel better now?) They are, amazingly, almost equal. I was safe, Robinson said. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born Jan. 31, 1919, in Cairo, Ga., to Jerry and Mallie Robinson. 11 Rowan with Robinson, Wait Till Next Year, 8, 9. The piece brought to mind Bill James work regarding Robinsons fielding prowess. Wayne Terwilliger took Robinsons place in the field when the Braves came to bat. He got a good jump and almost made it, declared the Daily Eagle, But Kirby Higbe, the pitcher of the moment, got the ball in fast, low and over the plate., in perfect position for Wally [sic] Westrum to make the tag.35 He was erased at the plate. That resulted, of course, in Robinson being ruled out. Harry The Cat Brecheen was pitching for St. Louis, with Joe Garagiola catching. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. 50 The photograph accompanies John Drebingers article on page 40 of the April 26, 1956, New York Times. On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Robinson broke for the plate. 5 See Robinson Can Still Do It All, New York Post, April 14, 1955. As Ostermueller began his long windup, Robinson broke for home. Furillo was batting, with a 2-and-1 count, and Robinson broke for home. The controversial decision to put a . The bases were loaded with one out. Robinson may be penalized on Expected Runs by the lack of information we have for 1947-1949, but a countervailing factor is the environment in which he did his stealing. The potent bats around him, plus an offense-friendly Ebbets Field as home turf, altered the run environment and raised the break-even levels on steals from the league average. 18 Harold C. Burr, Dodger Flag Chase Sets League Ablaze, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 22, 1948: 17. Split those ties 3-2 for Brooklyn, reasonable for a consistently winning team, and it would come out an identical 23-9. When it came to the top of the eighth, Robinson had scored twice and his two-run single made the score 12-3, Dodgers. Sandy Amoros drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in another. Precisely how much his swipes of home benefited the Dodgers is beyond our reckoning, but I hope not for long as full records are developed for his early years in Brooklyn. (1200x960) 283. Both times he was unsuccessful. Sure, we were surprised. Yogi Berra awaits. Robinson advanced to third base on the walk to Amoros. He threw four straight balls to Gilliam, forcing in a run. Bob Scheffing, the catcher, had the ball in plenty of time but Frank Dascoli, the plate umpire, said he didnt put the tag on the sliding runner, a decision that had the Cubs jumping and roaring around the plate until Russ Meyer, the Chicago starting pitcher, was chased out of the game.20 Cubs manager Charlie Grimm replaced Meyer with Dutch McCall. Died. His penchant for stealing home was strong enough that it made its way into the 1949 song Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?, whose lyrics I borrowed for my title. This one proved to be the winning run of the game. The Dodgers went down one-two-three in the first. It was another game when one run made a difference. 6 Rowan with Robinson, Wait Till Next Year, 149-150. Rush was no exception. Its not like I have to worry about making an inaccurate projection of Robinsons stealing prowess for the upcoming year. Braves manager Tommy Holmes didnt mention Robinson in particular but griped that the Dodgers were trying to rub it in by running up the score. In 1962, the National Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Jackie Robinson and Bob Feller. Louisville lefty Joe Ostrowski walked in one run. The ball bounced into center field and Robinson took his time trotting home.11 The game was tied, and the Royals won it in the 10th. Did you know that Reverend Jesse Jackson gave a brief, but stirring eulogy at the burial for Jackie Robinson who died on October 24, 1972 which took place at Cypress Hill Cemetery, in Brooklyn New York? Robinson went first to third when Carl Furillo singled to left field. A Gil Hodges grounder to shortstop resulted in a force out at second, but a run scored and Robinson took third base. A great article! Dave Koslo had started for the Giants, but the Dodgers got to him for two runs in the bottom of the sixth. The fateful meeting with Yogi merely gave us the visual hook upon which to hang an established reputation. Walker hit a two-run homer later in the game, and Roe drove in another run. Brooklyn scored six runs in the inning, holding off the Cubs, who scored three. For a moment, I want to act as if those six plays didnt happen. Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was an American baseball player who became the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. In Pittsburgh for a Friday night game at Forbes Field, Marv Rackley tripled in the top of the fifth to add a run and take a 2-0 lead over the Pirates. The Pirates were unable to score and thus lost the game. Born in Boston that very year, he has been a Red Sox fan since he can remember. It was Gil Hodgess first-inning grand slam that deservedly earned all the headlines. On a 1-and-1 count, Robinson stole home. A photograph in the next days New York Times shows the moment.42 Robinson was 4-for-4, every hit an extra-base hit. Willie Ramsdell walked Pafko, forcing in a run. An intentional walk to Reese loaded the bases. * Said throw would presumably be cut off to nail Robinson at the plate, which usually happened: He was only one for four on those attempts. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. It was 3-1, Brooklyn, after 4. It was also a rare reverse cycle (HR, 3B, 2B, 1B); Jackie collected his home run in the first inning, tripled in the third, hit a two-bagger in the fourth frame, and finished the cycle in reverse order when he hit a single in the eighth! Ruth changed the way baseball was played; Jackie Robinson changed the way Americans thought. One of Robinson's more startling moves was the time on Opening Day 1955 when he intentionally allowed himself to be hit by a batted ball in a game the Dodgers were leading, 1-0. But suddenly Robinsons 62.5 percent success rate looks awfully goodif one assumes he was going for home only in optimal situations. After Kirby Higbe struck out both Duke Snider and Gene Hermanski, Robinson hit an infield single to the first baseman. In 1949, the bats began booming, starting Brooklyns seven-year string of OPS+ titles. Andy Hansen replaced Giants starter Ray Poat. Hodges tried to keep coming but was tagged out when the shortstop returned the catchers throw. It came early in the game, in the bottom of the second inning, the Braves up 1-0. Jackie Robinson was born on Friday, January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. Copyright 1999- Carl Erskine pitched a 7-2 complete game for the Dodgers. Robinson singled twice more in the game, scoring just the once. 13 Harold C. Burr, Speed on Basepaths Gives Dodgers Well-Earned Verdict Over Bucs, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 25, 1947: 15. He wasnt. 2 Arnold Rampersad, Jackie Robinson: A Biography (New York: Ballantine Books, 1997), 42. Brooklyn trailed 1-0, Preacher Roe pitching against the visiting Cubs, as the Dodgers came up to bat in the bottom of the fourth. The more Robinson danced, the more irritated Turley became. So considering how few left handers the Dogers saw that might explain why he had more steal of home attempts against right handers. 39 Hy Hurwitz, Holmes Charges Dodgers Rubbed It In, Boston Globe, September 27, 1951: 6. It was a Friday night game at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh. Did you know that when Jackie Robinson hit for the cycle on August 29, 1948, he also scored three runs, drove in two runs, and stole a base? Robinson started the first six games of the Series at third base with a weak batting average of .182, four hits, and one dramatic steal of home. . Awards And Honors. 2 of 11 In this day and age, I figured you're more likely to see Bigfoot than you are a straight steal of home at any point of a game. He was 17-for-21 in stolen base attempts in 1953. Youve made a rookie baseball writer feel like he could stick around in the Show. Robinson's number, 42, was retired by Major League Baseball in 1997. var pfHeaderImgUrl = '';var pfHeaderTagline = '';var pfdisableClickToDel = 0;var pfHideImages = 0;var pfImageDisplayStyle = 'right';var pfDisablePDF = 0;var pfDisableEmail = 0;var pfDisablePrint = 0;var pfCustomCSS = 'https://www.baseball-almanac.com/css/print.css';var pfBtVersion='2';(function(){var js,pf;pf=document.createElement('script');pf.type='text/javascript';pf.src='//cdn.printfriendly.com/printfriendly.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(pf)})(); Jack Roosevelt Robinson was a Major League Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1947-1956). Hodges grounded out, pitcher to first base, while Robinson ran all the way from first to third on the play. 28 Burr, Robinsons Prancing on Bases Ruins Cubs., 29 Effrat, Hatten of Dodgers Blanks Cubs Before 25,595.. The overall steal numbers for Robinson nudge me toward a second conclusion. Ill echo the applause for your fine article. Date of Birth: Jan 31, 1919 - Oct 24, 1972 (53 years old) Place of Birth: One of the 70+ affairs was his very first steal of home on June 24, 1947, and one can argue he had been goaded into some payback, as Pirates hurler Fritz Ostermueller had earlier thrown at Robinsons head. It's one of the few times the Bums got a leg up (or down) on the Bombers. His hand looks to have been about six inches from reaching the plate when McCullough placed the tag on him.37 Campanella was not credited with a steal of second but advanced there on the throw back to the plate. Anyway, today, I kept going down and down, and before I knew it, I was home.39. (Interestingly, the Yankees Billy Martin had been thrown out trying to steal home in the sixth inning.) He danced around so much on first base faking moves to second and was said to have flustered Turley so much that Turleys pitch hit Sandy Amoros. Campanella doubled in the second run, in the second inning. When further data become available, however, I intend to revise this article to reflect our new knowledge. Frankly, I didnt think hed try it, with his team two runs behind. They were playing a Tuesday afternoon game at Wrigley Field. With one out, Furillo singled to left and Robinson singled to center, sending Furillo to third. 24 Harold C. Burr, Musial Murder Inc. to Dodger Hurlers, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 3, 1949: 16. Probably in Yogis it was.47 Berra never changed his mind; there was, of course, no replay in those days, but to the end of his days Berra believed that Robinson had been tagged out. He was safe, the second time hed stolen home off Meyer.36 Though the Dodgers tied it up in the sixth, Bill Nicholsons two-run homer in the eighth won the game, 6-4. [Answer]. His stories have been translated into French, Russian and Japanese, and he was nominated for the 2002 Hugo Award. Robinson was on third and faked a couple of breaks to the plate. However, this almost perfectly reflects the game situations in which he stole. It could have ruined the aesthetic of what we see above. 9 Vet, Analyzing Robinson, Asserts Jackie Cant Miss, The Sporting News, September 11, 1946: 4. Ill note this, if and when I do the follow-up. There were runners on first and third. But it actually does happen pretty frequently. The last. Higbe threw two balls to George Shuba. Furillo grounded out, second to first, and Robinson took third. But once he started I took my time and threw a low fast one in what I thought was plenty of time. After four innings, it was 5-0 and Phillies starter Robin Roberts was gone. However, Umpire Jocko Conlan called Robinson safe, while Salkelds gripe lasted only a few seconds.21 A few pitches later, Cox grounded out. 11. r/baseball. He did not play in Game Seven when Elston Howard's groundout, Pee Wee Reese to Gil Hodges, in the ninth brought the Brooklyn Dodgers their first and only World Series title.14 But "42" was right . During Robinsons career, the break-even rate ranged from a low of 33.7 percent to a high of 38.5 percent. But it also prevented what would almost certainly have been a double play, and it left the bases still loaded, Campy on first.5, MINOR-LEAGUE YEAR WITH THE MONTREAL ROYALS IN 1946, The Dodgers executive who signed Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey, was well aware of Robinsons talent at distraction on the basepaths. [Stolen Base Records]. Thank you for this, Shane. [1] 46 Berra Takes Blame for Steal, Boston Globe, September 9, 1955: 14. It was at home, at Ebbets Field. The Braves came back with three runs in the top of the eighth, and the game went into extra innings. Seven of his attempts had break-evens over 50 percentall with one outand three managed to exceed 70 percent, two with another runner on base who was not also stealing. A dash home by Jackie was usually a good omen for the Dodgers: They went 23-9 in games where he attempted to steal home. Batter is Clem Labine. 2 This Day In Dodgers History: Jackie Robinson Steals Home Plate For First Time [1] It was more than 14 months later before Robinson tried to steal home again. This is a somewhat more unfavorable environment than today: From 2009 to 2011, the rates have been 33.5/31.0/32.3. For four of Robinson's ten seasons, therefore . Two pitches later, Clem Labine struck out. by Retrosheet. 37 See photograph on page 37 of the May 3, 1951, New York Times. First, the bulk of my data come via Retrosheet, beginning at its tribute page to Robinson filled with statistics drawn from the personal score sheets of Allan Roth, ur-sabermetrician for the Dodgers. Ill wait until youre back.) The Phillies hosted a Sunday doubleheader on July 2, the Phils Russ Meyer against Ralph Branca in the first game.