They say there’s a first time for everything, and the Atlantic League proved just that Saturday night.
The independent baseball league recently implemented a rule allowing batters to steal first base. And as wild as the rule seems, it actually happened during the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs’ game against the Lancaster Barnstormers.
Per the ALPA press release, batters are allowed to steal first base on any pitch not caught in flight, and that the batter can be thrown out if he chooses to run, similar to what happens on a dropped third strike.
Blue Crabs’ Tony Thomas became the first person to steal first after a wild pitch to the backstop on an 0-0 count. Take a look:
Southern Maryland would go on to win 7-2.
While it’s unclear whether Major League Baseball will implement the rule in the coming seasons, it’s certainly interesting to see it happen during a game.
