Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera did something pretty unusual today in a loss to the Giants; he became the first player since the White Sox’s Lou Frazier in 1998 to steal four bases without recording a hit.
Cabrera walked twice and stole second and third each time. He scored on a Hector Sanchez throwing error on the second steal of third.
Cabrera now leads the NL with 41 steals. He’s also been caught just three times. Despite all of the talk about how speed is supposed to rule the game again, it’s been a poor year for steals in the NL. Michael Bourn is second in the league with 40 steals in 52 tries. Shane Victorino has 39 steals. Cabrera’s total will be the lowest total to lead either league since Alfonso Soriano topped the AL with 41 steals in 2002. It’ll be the lowest total to lead the NL since Craig Biggio had 39 in the strike-shortened 1994 season. Apart from that, the NL leader has had at least 45 steals every year since 1963.
As for Cabrera’s feat today, he became the 8th different player since 1918 to have four steals without a hit. Vince Coleman did it three times and Rickey Henderson twice, so it’s been done 11 times in all.