Red Killefer Gives Himself Up
A bunt, a walk, a bruise, and a stolen base: four ways to change a ballgame without ever hitting it.
Ed. 08.27.26
Red Killefer Gives Himself Up (1910)
Wade "Red" Killefer was a Washington second baseman who could not hit, and the papers said so all summer. Against Detroit he came up four times and sacrificed on all four, moving a runner along every trip. Three of them scored in a 3 to 1 win. It set a major league record. Then he opened the nightcap with a fifth straight sacrifice, in case anyone had missed the point.
Gehrig Walks, and Walks, and Loses (1935)
Lou Gehrig walked five times against the White Sox, tying the American League record. The first came with the bases loaded and one out in the opening inning, and the two hitters behind him popped up to strand everybody. Gehrig reached base five times and scored zero runs. Only once did he get past first. Chicago won 4 to 3, which means the greatest first baseman alive was on base all afternoon and it cost the Yankees the game anyway.
The Most Painful Way On (1975)
Craig Kusick was a Twins first baseman having an unremarkable season. In Milwaukee he got hit by a pitch. Then he got hit again. Then, in extra innings, he got hit a third time, tying a major league record. Bert Blyleven made it stand up, going all eleven innings and striking out thirteen in a 1 to 0 win. Some days you contribute with the bat. Some days you contribute with your elbow.
Rickey Takes the Base With Him (1982)
Lou Brock's 118 steals had stood since 1974 and most of baseball assumed that was the ceiling. In the third inning at County Stadium, Rickey Henderson drew a four-pitch walk, waited out four throws to first, and went on a pitchout. He was safe. The game stopped, Brock walked onto the field, and Rickey pulled second base out of the ground and held it over his head. Then he stole three more before the night was done. He finished the season with 130, and forty-four years later nobody has come close.
