On Saturday night time, I used to be at a marriage in Washington, DC. The bride was a Nationals fan and the groom was a Phillies fan. The band performed “Dancing on My Personal,” and the groom’s mates continued to sing the refrain nicely after the band had stopped taking part in. I had solely met the pleased couple a number of occasions, however because of a last-second swap and a quirk of the venue’s format, I ended up seated instantly in entrance of the spot from which everybody made their speeches. And I imply instantly in entrance of it. I used to be so shut that I slouched down in my chair the entire time in order that the again of my head wouldn’t wreck all the images. I used to be so shut that I needed to alternate between trying down on the desk and searching previous whoever was talking and out the window, as a result of I truthfully thought that making eye contact from that distance can be too distracting for somebody making an attempt to ship a heartfelt message of affection. In any other case, right here’s what they’d have seen at any time when they seemed down at their speech:
I’m conscious that I convey some awkwardness with me each time I enter a room, however on Saturday, the room actually met me midway.
Not lengthy after the daddy of the bride tearfully recounted the time, all these years in the past, when he was away on a enterprise journey and he referred to as his pregnant spouse from a payphone within the Atlanta airport and discovered that they had been going to have a little bit lady, I began vibrating. Swiftly, my telephone was blowing up.
Evidently, I couldn’t precisely attain into my pocket and begin scrolling at that second. I needed to wait till the entire fantastic folks completed wishing the attractive couple an extended life crammed with love, laughter, and happiness. The reply was well worth the wait.
On June 5, I wrote concerning the Kutina Membership for Insistently Unsuccessful Basestealers. This unique group is called after first baseman Joe Kutina, who stole zero bases on seven makes an attempt in 1912. It welcomes all gamers who’ve been caught stealing no less than 4 occasions in a season with out efficiently swiping a bag. On the time, McMahon was main the large leagues with a glowing 0-for-4 exhibiting that featured one old school caught stealing, two pickoffs, and one stolen base that was overturned when a replay confirmed that his cleat got here off the bag for a nanosecond. Not solely was McMahon in line to affix the Kutina Membership, he was very practically on tempo to grow to be its record-holder. Joe Coscarart went 0-for-11 in 1936, whereas McMahon was on tempo to get caught 10.8 occasions.
Even when he didn’t need the document, all he wanted to do to get his membership card and funky embroidered jacket was keep put for the remainder of the season. As an alternative, McMahon not solely stole his first base of the season, he stole house! That’s the toughest base to steal, since catchers wish to squat proper behind it on their huge haunches, and pitchers wish to throw their pitches proper to the catchers, and when catchers try to catch would-be basestealers at house plate, they typically put up pop occasions within the neighborhood of 0.00 seconds. The subsequent morning, I noticed how McMahon pulled it off: With some assist from Pittsburgh catcher Yasmani Grandal. Grandal, it seems, is one thing of a soft-tosser.
We have already got a time period for when the protection concedes a stolen base: defensive indifference. We would want a brand new class for this play: detached protection, which describes when the staff out on the sector is detached not simply to the development of the runner, however to the very idea of protection itself. Perhaps defensive obliviousness can be extra correct, however both approach, this is without doubt one of the best steals of house you’ll ever see. Grandal had been throwing the ball again to the pitcher like this all recreation. When McMahon reached third, Grandal began taking a fast peek on the runner earlier than tossing it again, however his lollipops had been as tender as ever. In reality, I went forward and timed him.
From the time the ball left Grandal’s hand to the time it hit Jared Jones’s glove, 1.86 seconds elapsed. Even with nineteenth percentile dash pace, that was gradual sufficient that McMahon might time him up and waltz house. To be clear, this wasn’t solely Grandal’s fault. McMahon was capable of take an unlimited lead with impunity as a result of Ke’Bryan Hayes was shaded approach over towards brief and by no means made the slightest pretense of checking in on him. The facet angle tells the story fairly elegantly. Right here’s the second that the pitch hit Grandal’s mitt.
McMahon was a strong 20 to 25 toes from the bag, however he might have simply ventured a lot farther. Hayes was so removed from the bag that he’s not even within the body. McMahon’s lead was so huge that each the house and away broadcasts reduce to photographs of it earlier than Jones launched the fateful pitch, however no one on the Pirates confirmed the slightest concern. Perhaps somebody advised them concerning the Kutina Membership, or perhaps McMahon simply actually needed out of it. McMahon gave the slightest deke again towards third base when Grandal gave his cursory look down the baseline, however maybe essentially the most embarrassing a part of the entire story is that he began operating nicely earlier than Grandal threw the ball. Right here’s a nonetheless from the second when it left the catcher’s hand.
McMahon is already in a full dash. Hayes is strolling even farther away from third base. Solely the house plate umpire has seen that the rating is about to vary.
By way of efficient velocity, ignoring the arc Grandal placed on the ball and solely measuring how lengthy it took for it to cowl the 60-foot, 6-inch distance from house plate to the mound, it traveled at 22.2 mph. For reference, there have been solely 9 balls hit between 22 and 23 mph this season, and 7 of them had been bunts.
From the time Grandal launched the ball, it took simply McMahon simply 2.43 seconds to the touch house plate. Jones knew that house plate was McMahon’s lengthy earlier than he caught the world’s saddest profitable Hail Mary cross. Right here’s a GIF that exhibits second of Grandal’s launch, the second the ball reaches its apex, and the second it hits Jones’ glove. You possibly can’t even name it a tragedy in three acts. It’s a play the place the hero will get stabbed within the first act, after which acts two and three simply encompass him slowly bleeding to dying.
A couple of minutes later, the Pirates broadcast famous that third base coach Warren Schaeffer had sneaked over to McMahon proper earlier than the pitch, presumably to whisper that house plate was vast open. Nevertheless, once they reduce to a replay, he didn’t seem to say something in any respect. All of the video confirmed was Schaeffer shuffling over towards McMahon whereas trying to chew a wad of gum the scale of a Jeep Cherokee.
I’m unsure Schaeffer might have mentioned something to McMahon if he needed to. He seemed precisely like my little brother did when he was 8 and he stuffed a whole pouch of Large League Chew in his mouth. Perhaps Schaeffer’s stroll represented some type of non-verbal sign — he was sporting a slight smirk on the finish of the clip — but when Schaeffer did tip off McMahon by the use of talking, it in all probability got here out one thing like, “Roo shud sfeel fome.”
Probably the most superb a part of the entire ordeal is that the subsequent time the Rockies obtained a person in scoring place — which was within the very subsequent inning — Grandal hadn’t discovered from his mistake in any respect. Right here he’s throwing the ball again to the pitcher. It’s nonetheless a lob! The ball nonetheless travels so excessive that it leaves the body solely! It’s one inning later! What are we doing right here?
With that, McMahon was out of the Kutina membership. What’s extra, he led a mass exodus. The record beneath is from my authentic article on June 5. It exhibits all 5 gamers who had no less than two caught stealings and nil steals on the time.
Empty-Handed Thiefs (As of June 5)
Jeimer Candelario stole two bases the very subsequent day. Nick Senzel stole a base the day after that, and Brendan Donovan stole one every week later. That leaves Justin Turner and Nick Martini (who picked up his second caught stealing on Monday) because the final gamers standing to be caught twice with out stealing a base. We’ll have to attend till the tip of the yr to seek out out whether or not they find yourself becoming a member of the membership. Nevertheless, McMahon is now in a membership that’s solely barely much less unique.
I used to be curious what number of gamers ended the season in McMahon’s place, with their solely stolen bases approaching a steal of house. It is a difficult factor to seek for, so I reached out to Katie Sharp of Stathead, who graciously ran a question and located 183 gamers and 189 participant seasons that met this standards. The record contains legends like Joe DiMaggio, Roy Campanella, and Edgar Martinez, however I’ve determined to call this membership after pitcher Ray Fisher. 5 of the gamers managed to steal house twice in a season, and 5 gamers managed to make the record twice, however solely Fisher made it thrice, in 1915, 1916, and 1919.
Thus far this season, solely McMahon and Andrew McCutchen are in line to affix the Fisher Membership of Solely Domiciliary Basestealers. McCutchen’s steal of house was even flukier than McMahon’s, solely coming to cross as a result of J.T. Realmuto threw the ball into heart subject when the runner at first took off for second. If both participant finishes the season with out stealing second or third, they’ll be part of Yordan Alvarez as the one participant to enter the membership this decade. In the event that they do find yourself stealing second or third, I stay up for feeling my telephone blow up on the most inopportune time attainable.