Jacoby Ellsbury‘s base-stealing ability is becoming something to marvel at.
Ellsbury stole his major league-leading 11th base in the sixth inning of Friday’s game. The theft set a new Red Sox single-season record for the month of April, as he broke his own mark of 10 April steals, which he accomplished in 2009.
Ellsbury’s stolen base on Friday also gave him 200 for his career. He is the third Red Sox player ever to swipe 200 bases, joining the likes of Harry Hooper (300 steals) and Tris Speaker (267 steals). Ellsbury is the first to accomplish the feat in the live ball era (since 1920), and he reached the milestone in his 604th game, which is fewer than it took Hooper or Speaker.
“When he’s healthy, he’s one of the more dynamic players in the big leagues,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said of Ellsbury. “Whether it’s on the base paths or the ability for extra-base potential in the box, he’s doing that again.”
Ellsbury hasn’t been thrown out trying to steal this season. His 11-for-11 stretch is his second-longest streak of successful stolen base attempts to begin a season. He swiped 16 straight to begin 2008.
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