A’s outfielder Esteury Ruiz gets closer to Lofton’s AL rookie steals record
Sep 19, 2023, 9:01 AM | Updated: 10:02 am
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 10: Esteury Ruiz #1 of the Oakland Athletics bunts into a fielder's choice against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at Globe Life Field on September 10, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Esteury Ruiz continues to give Oakland Athletics fans something to cheer for as Oakland’s tumultuous season comes to a close.
The A’s outfielder notched two more steals in last night’s 5-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners.
Ruiz stole second base in the eighth inning and swiped third two pitches later when no one covered the bag. That gave Ruiz 61 steals this season, tops among rookies and the most in the AL overall.
Ruiz needs six more to break Kenny Lofton’s AL rookie record of 66 set in 1992. The A’s have 12 games left in the season.
Steals No. 60 and 61 for Esteury Ruiz! 💨 pic.twitter.com/8RhuRpfMsj
— MLB (@MLB) September 19, 2023
While many may look to Lofton’s record, this is the first time an A’s player has stolen over 60 bases in a season since Rickey Henderson did it in 1998. If he plays a full season next year, he may have a shot at reaching the A’s franchise record of 130 steals this season, which was set by Rickey Henderson in 1982.
Esteury Ruiz made the franchise record books earlier this season when he broke a 46-year-old franchise rookie steal record that was previously set by Mitchell Page in 1977.
The Associated Press contributed to this story. Thank you for reading SactownSports.com. Follow us on Twitter and Google News, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
