NEWSLETTER
In modern baseball, base stealing is something of a lost art.
But I suppose if Ivan Rodgriguez was still behind the plate, I wouldn’t be very interested in swiping bases either.
The newly minted Hall of Fame catcher caught 661 base stealers throughout his 21-year Major League career. Further, he caught 46 percent of those who were brave enough to run on him during his years with the Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals.
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There were nine seasons in which Pudge led baseball in caught stealing percentage. In eight of those seasons, Rodriguez nailed at least 51 percent of those potential base stealers. That is a lot of outs made on the bases.
Hopefully, the pitchers who benefited from this Hall of Famer’s elite defense gave him a nice pat on the back or maybe picked up a dinner bill or two along the way.
Let’s check out some of Rodriguez’s defensive handiwork behind the plate:
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This might be the play Rodriguez is most known for as he holds on to the final out to clinch the 2003 NLDS against the Giants.
Oh. And here is some footage of one Hall of Famer throwing out another:
It’s been a long time coming for Rodriguez. No wonder he was so emotional upon hearing the news of his selection to the Hall.
