‘Steal’ of first base by Brewer bizarre

MILWAUKEE - Jean Segura produced a memorable piece of base running that out shined Ryan Braun’s three run home run.

Segura somehow wound up safe at first base after attempting to steal third, only to later be thrown out attempting to steal second base again in Milwaukee’s 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night.

Segura led off the eighth inning with a single and stole second before Braun walked. Segura attempted to steal third, but Shawn Camp didn’t deliver a pitch. Instead, he threw to third well ahead of Segura, who turned and went back to second.

Braun was there, and shortstop Luis Valbuena tagged both runners as they stood on the bag.

The rules say only the trailing runner is out in that case, but Segura trotted toward first base and the home dugout, then appeared to realize what had happened and sped into the unoccupied base.

“I was surprised because I was going to the dugout,” he said.

He later attempted a straight steal of second, but Cubs catcher Welington Castillo threw him out.

“I don’t know if that’s ever happened in the history of the game - a guy steals second and gets thrown out trying to steal second in the same inning,” Chicago manager Dale Sveum said.

Milwaukee Manager Ron Roenicke gave Segura a pass for his blunder, meeting with the young shortstop for a few moments in a quiet conversation in the locker room.

“Seg is 23 years old, he’s got all kinds of energy,” Roenicke said. “He’s going to make some mistakes. We know that. But his pluses are so good. The mistakes are going to happen.”

Rule 7.08(i) allows a runner to go backwards on the bases unless he is trying to confuse the defense or make a travesty of the game.

“After he has acquired legal possession of a base, he runs the bases in reverse order for the purpose of confusing the defense or making a travesty of the game,” the rule states. “The umpire shall immediately call ‘Time’ and declare the runner out; If a runner touches an unoccupied base and then thinks the ball was caught or is decoyed into returning to the base he last touched, he may be put out running back to that base, but if he reaches the previously occupied base safely he cannot be put out while in contact with that base.”

Sports, Pages 29 on 04/21/2013

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