Major League Baseball

Billy Hamilton steals third on throw back to pitcher

Published Jul. 12, 2015 1:28 p.m. ET

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By Darren Hartwell

Billy Hamilton might be the fastest man alive.

OK, that’s probably an exaggeration, but after watching what Hamilton did Saturday night, you’ll understand our reason for hyperbole.

The Cincinnati Reds outfielder was on second base in the third inning when Miami Marlins pitcher Adam Conley missed with a ball down in the zone. But when catcher J.T. Realmuto routinely threw the ball back to Conley, Hamilton turned on the jets.

That’s just not fair.

Hamilton essentially manufactured a run all by himself. After leading off the inning with a single, the 24-year-old speedster stole second base before his stealthy swipe of third and scored later in the inning on a Todd Frazier sacrifice fly. Unfortunately for the Reds, it all would be for naught, as they went on lose 14-3.

Hamilton’s two thefts gave him a total of 44 steals so far this season - 11 more than the next-closest competitor in Marlins infielder Dee Gordon. There’s no way Hamilton can touch the single-season record of 138 stolen bases set by Hugh Nicol in 1887, but he does have a good shot at knocking off Jose Reyes, whose 78 steals in 2007 are the most of any player in the 21st century.

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