MIAMI — There’s a saying that every time you go to the ballpark, you’ll witness something you haven’t seen before. Such was the case on Tuesday night, when Marlins first baseman Jesús Aguilar stole a base for the first time in his MLB career.
Aguilar, who debuted on May 15, 2014, entered the series opener against the Angels with 2,331 plate appearances without a steal — the most among active big leaguers. Second was Brewers catcher Omar Narváez at 1,963. Aguilar last stole a base during the 2014-15 Venezuelan Winter League.
After reaching on a throwing error that put runners at the corners with one out in the first inning, Aguilar bolted for second on Noah Syndergaard’s 0-2 offering. Avisaíl García swung through the 84.8 mph slider, and Aguilar beat Max Stassi’s 75.6 mph throw to the left of second base.
The Statcast numbers were as follows:
The 32-year-old Aguilar capitalized on Syndergaard’s inability to hold runners. Entering Tuesday, he had allowed 159 stolen bases since 2015 (his first year), 30 more than any other pitcher.