ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - In the bottom of the second inning of the Sept. 1, 1963 matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Tim McCarver led off with a single. Two batters later, pitcher Curt Simmons drove him in with a triple.
A triple, by a PITCHER who had a career .171 average at the plate! But that's not the rare feat we're here to highlight.
Then, with Julian Javier at the dish for St. Louis, Simmons did something no pitcher has done since. He stole home.
Javier squared to bunt and Simmons broke from home on the suicide squeeze play. But the bunt was abandoned on a poor pitch by Pittsburgh's Chris Short. Simmons was safe and awarded the stolen base. He not only earned his 12th win of the season in that 7-3 victory but also had two RBI.
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The then 34-year-old hurler is the last pitcher to ever steal home. It's only happened 40 times since 1900. And unless it happens again over the last month of this MLB season, we're likely never to see it again.
It's not guaranteed, but likely for the National League to adopt the designated hitter in 2022. Meaning pitchers will rarely see the base paths.
See a list of every instance of a pitcher stealing home since 1900, at SABR.org.
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