On Saturday evening, 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 pals continued to sing the refrain nicely after the band had stopped taking part in. I had solely met the completely satisfied couple a number of instances, however as a consequence of a last-second swap and a quirk of the venue’s structure, 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 destroy all the images. I used to be so shut that I needed to alternate between trying down on the desk and looking out previous whoever was talking and out the window, as a result of I actually 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 might have seen each time they regarded down at their speech:
I’m conscious that I carry 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 came upon that they had been going to have somewhat lady, I began vibrating. Impulsively, 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 great folks completed wishing the gorgeous couple an extended life full of 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 at the very least 4 instances in a season with out efficiently swiping a bag. On the time, McMahon was main the large leagues with a glowing 0-for-4 displaying that featured one old style 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 change into its record-holder. Joe Coscarart went 0-for-11 in 1936, whereas McMahon was on tempo to get caught 10.8 instances.
Even when he didn’t need the report, 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 dwelling! That’s the toughest base to steal, since catchers wish to squat proper behind it on their massive haunches, and pitchers wish to throw their pitches proper to the catchers, and when catchers are trying to catch would-be basestealers at dwelling plate, they typically put up pop instances within the neighborhood of 0.00 seconds. The following 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’d want a brand new class for this play: detached protection, which describes when the workforce out on the sector is detached not simply to the development of the runner, however to the very idea of protection itself. Possibly defensive obliviousness can be extra correct, however both approach, this is without doubt one of the best steals of dwelling you’ll ever see. Grandal had been throwing the ball again to the pitcher like this all sport. When McMahon reached third, Grandal began taking a fast peek on the runner earlier than tossing it again, however his lollipops had been as smooth 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 sluggish sufficient that McMahon might time him up and waltz dwelling. To be clear, this wasn’t fully Grandal’s fault. McMahon was capable of take an infinite 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 monumental 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. Possibly somebody advised them concerning the Kutina Membership, or perhaps McMahon simply actually wished 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 working 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.
When it comes to 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 dwelling 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 dwelling plate. Jones knew that dwelling 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 include him slowly bleeding to loss of life.
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 dwelling plate was extensive open. Nevertheless, once they reduce to a replay, he didn’t seem to say something by any means. All of the video confirmed was Schaeffer shuffling over towards McMahon whereas trying to chew a wad of gum the dimensions of a Jeep Cherokee.
I’m undecided Schaeffer might have mentioned something to McMahon if he wished to. He regarded precisely like my little brother did when he was 8 and he stuffed a whole pouch of Massive League Chew in his mouth. Possibly Schaeffer’s stroll represented some kind 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 most likely got here out one thing like, “Roo shud sfeel fome.”
Essentially the most wonderful a part of the entire ordeal is that the following time the Rockies received a person in scoring place — which was within the very subsequent inning — Grandal hadn’t realized 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 fully! 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 listing under is from my authentic article on June 5. It exhibits all 5 gamers who had at the very least two caught stealings and 0 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 search 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 dwelling. This can be a tough 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 listing 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 dwelling twice in a season, and 5 gamers managed to make the listing twice, however solely Fisher made it 3 times, in 1915, 1916, and 1919.
To this point this season, solely McMahon and Andrew McCutchen are in line to affix the Fisher Membership of Completely Domiciliary Basestealers. McCutchen’s steal of dwelling was even flukier than McMahon’s, solely coming to cross as a result of J.T. Realmuto threw the ball into heart discipline 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.
