Tony Thomas stole 31 bases during his record-setting junior season at Florida State 12 years ago. On Saturday night, he made professional baseball history with the strangest stolen base of his life.
Taking advantage of a new experimental rule in the independent Atlantic League, which is working in conjunction with Major League Baseball, Thomas became the first player in pro baseball history to steal first base.
It occurred during the sixth inning of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs’ game against the Lancaster Barnstormers. The game was scoreless at the time, and Thomas came up to bat with one out.
When an 0-1 pitch sailed past the Barnstormers' catcher to the backstop, Thomas took off for first base and was awarded the stolen base. Under the experimental rule, which just went into effect for the second half of the Atlantic League season, a batter can attempt to steal first on any pitch that is not caught by the catcher.
It's an extension of the existing "dropped third strike" play.
"It was just something I never thought I'd be a part of," Thomas said in an interview posted by the Blue Crabs' official Twitter account on Sunday. "I tried to find a way to get my team on base, and the opportunity presented itself. It wasn't something I thought about going into [the at-bat]. But when I saw the ball get stuck underneath the backdrop, I knew [they] had no shot of getting me out at first base. So I took off and went."
From Yahoo Sports: Thomas steals first for first time in pro baseball history
Thomas would end up scoring later in the inning to give the Blue Crabs a 1-0 advantage en route to a victory.
With MLB input, the Atlantic League is experimenting with several other rules as well, including a computerized strike zone.
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Thomas, a Tampa product, had one of the greatest offensive seasons in Florida State history more than a decade ago. As a junior in 2007, he became the first Seminole to register 30 doubles, 100 hits and 30 stolen bases in a single season. He was named National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball that season and went on to become a third-round pick of the Chicago Cubs.
Thomas is playing his 13th season of professional baseball, including several stints at the AAA level.
