Here’s a story that ran in the Eagle-Tribune on Saturday, not in its entirety, on former Red Sox homeplate stealer Billy Hatcher.
I called Hatcher while he was in the Reds clubhouse — he is first base coach — and asked him about the Jacoby Ellsbury steal last Sunday night and his reaction.
He was great.
Anyway, here is the story:
Bill Burt
Cincinnati Reds first base coach Billy Hatcher was home relaxing in bed last Sunday night, watching the Red Sox-Yankees telecast on ESPN, several hours after the Reds beat up the Braves, 8-2.
When he saw Red Sox baserunner Jacoby Ellsbury break for home plate, as Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte was beginning his windup, he shot up.
“I said, ‘No he isn’t! No he isn’t!,’ ” said the 48-year-old Hatcher. “I knew he was going to make it. I knew it. I got chills. My wife Karen was in the other room when it happened. I called her to come in and watch it.”
Hatcher was, of course, referring to Ellsbury’s succesful steal of home in the fifth inning of the Red Sox 4-1 win, which was the talk of baseball last weekend.
It also brought Hatcher’s name to the forefront again.
He not only was the last Red Sox player to make a straight steal of home — April 22, 1994 — but Hatcher did it twice. He also stole home on Aug. 3, 1992, less than a month after being traded to the Red Sox by the Reds.
Hatcher says the topic comes up every spring when he visits Fort Myers.
“The Red Sox fans are un believeable,” said Hatcher. “I get treated like a star. I take pictures with fans. They say they remember me stealing home. I really like it. It always makes me feel good.”
As do the memories of the steals home, the only two of his major league career.
Hatchers says he remembers both of them distinctly.
“The first one was against Juan Guzman and the Blue Jays,” he recalled. “Mo Vaughn was up at the plate. I was on third. Guzman was pitching from the windup and I noticed he didn’t look at me the first two pitches. I think I took off on the third pitch. I started running. I had a great jump. And I just started yelling, ‘Mo! Mo! Don’t hit it!’ I think I surprised him. He just looked at me and froze, and I made it.”
The Red Sox won easily, 7-1, that day.
The next one was a little more eventful. Hatcher was on third and the Sox were losing 5-4 to the Angels with two outs in the seventh inning.
Left-hander Chuck Finley was on the mound.
“Tom Brunansky was hitting,” recalled Hatcher. “The thing about Chuck was when he was in his windup he took a long time to deliver the ball. That was something I always had in the back of my head. I remember peeking at him on the first pitch, seeing how far I could get off, and he never looked over at me. On the second pitch, I just took off as soon as he rocked back. I yelled like hell to Tom, too. He said he heard me and didn’t swing.”
Hatcher’s steal tied the game, 5-5, setting up Vaughn’s walk-off single to win it in the ninth inning.
“That’s the best part, like Jacoby’s steal,” said Hatcher. “They led to a win. That makes it feel extra special.”
The fact that Fenway Park demanded curtain calls each time probably helped him remember.
“Both times the fans gave a standing ovation and came out of the dugout and gave them a wave,” said Hatcher. “I saw the fans do that for Jacoby, too. Those were two special moments in my career.”
While Hatcher was by no means a star (a lifetime .265 hitter, 55 HRs), he did have a flair for the dramatic over his 12-year career, spanning seven clubs.
In the 1986 NLCS, with Hatcher’s Astros trailing 4-3 in the 14th inning, he hit a dramatic home run against famed Mets closer Jesse Orosco to tie the score. The Mets eventually won 7-6 in 16 innings.
In the 1990 World Series, Hatcher hit .750 (9-for-12, 6 runs, 1 double, 1 triple), bettering Babe Ruth’s long-held record (1928) of .625, in the Red shocking sweep of the Oakland A’s. But the MVP trophy went to teammate and starting pitcher Jose Rijo, who allowed only one run over two victories.
“My greatest moment was winning the World Series,” said Hatcher. “But stealing home was near the top.”
Hatcher says people make such a big deal about stealing home because it rarely occurs. Before Ellsbury, Tampa Bay’s BJ Upton and Toronto’s Aaron Hill performed the feat in 2007. Tampa’s Carl Crawford and Anaheim’s Orlando Cabrera did it in 2006.
“Everything has to be perfect,” said Hatcher. “You have to have a pitcher who is really focused on the batter, that’s most important. So it helps if there is a good batter at the plate.”
Hatcher’s says stealing home has become a lost art, also, because most pitchers today throw from the stretch.
“As much as I’d love to see more guys steal home, if I was a pitching coach, I would have my pitchers throw from the stretch when runners are on base,” said Hatcher. “I wouldn’t want someone stealing home on me.”
Hatcher said he was thankful for Ellsbury bringing him back in the public eye for a few days. He also said it reminded him of his time in Boston.
“I was there three years and I can say it was one of the best places I ever played,” said Hatcher. “Even when you’re losing, those fans get you up. I heard heard a lot of bad things about Boston before I got there, but I never saw it. I will always hold a special place in my heart for Boston and the Red Sox.”
As for Ellsbury, he hopes the Sox centerfielder does it again some day.
“Everyone’s scouting report is going to say, ‘Watch for Ellsbury when he’s on third base because he might steal home.’ ” said Hatcher. “That happened to me. But there were be a time, maybe a few years from now, when everything is perfect. I hope he does it again. I love it.”
If you have any memories, bring them on …
