Stealing First
The Official MLB Rulebook prohibits any player from stealing first base. To be specific, the Comment to Rule 7.01 provides: "If a runner legally acquires title to a base, and the pitcher assumes his pitching position, the runner may not return to a previously occupied base. This was not always the case. Herman "Germany" Schaefer of the Detroit Tigers once stole three bases on three consecutive pitches and never advance beyond second base. Newspaper reports written decades after the event contain conflicting accounts of the infamous triple steal. A first-hand account, however, is included in Lawrence Ritter's classic oral history, "The Glory of their Times".
Davy Jones, for years an outstanding lead off hitter for the Tigers and other teams, related the eyewitness account of Schaefer's ploy. The Tigers were playing Cleveland in a close game. Jones was on third and Schaefer was on first. Schaefer bolted for second, trying to draw a throw from the Indian catcher to give Jones a chance to score on the double steal. The catcher chose not to make the attempt. With Tigers on second and third and Sam Crawford at the plate, it seemed the game would go on in a typical manner. But nothing was typical about Germany Schaefer. On the next pitch, Schaeffer let out a blood curdling scream and sprinted back to first. The catcher was too stunned to do anything but stand there with the ball in his hand. The umpires after a long discussion allowed the "steal" and on the next pitch, Schaefer again took off for second. The third time was the charm; the catcher attempted to throw out Schaefer, Jones took off for home, and both base runners were safe.
