According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Julio Franco's stolen base in the ninth inning Saturday night at Los Angeles made him the oldest player to swipe a bag. Franco, who turns 47 on Aug. 23, ranks as the second-oldest player to hit a home run, after Jack Quinn, a pitcher for the A's who was 46 years, 357 days when he homered in 1930.
(Updated 05/17/2005).
Way to go Julio! Man, that's gotta be one embarassed pitcher/catcher... I take it Franco can't be all too quick anymore...
I was watching that game, and Julio was actually swiping third on a 1-2 count after he'd stolen second, but the batter grounded out to end the inning. No idea whether he would have made it or not...
Said steal was against Eric Gagne in his first appearance back off of the DL. I was listening to the game in the car, and Charlie Steiner was almost apoplectic that Old Man Franco had swiped said base.
With the success that Julio has had at "advanced age" do you think he'll hang it up at 50? I understand that is his current goal, to play until 50
He'll never hang int up....
I was watching the game as well, forgive me if I'm wrong (as I couldn't pay that much attention what with all the yelling and cursing directed at Eric Gagne) but wasn't Julio CS third to end the inning?
I guess I could just easily check the box score, but then I couldn't post a follow up answering my own query to get to 300 posts quicker.
I'm almost positive that someone struck out to end the inning, and they had sent Julio on the pitch. I remember Steiner wondering what the record is for older play to steal two bases in one inning.
You're right, my bad...But the camera angle definitely showed Julio sliding into third, maybe that's where I got confused.
Top 9th: Atlanta
- E. Gagne relieved H. Choi
- C. Jones homered to deep center
- A. Jones homered to deep left center
- J. Franco singled to center
- J. Franco stole second
- B. Jordan struck out swinging
- J. Estrada struck out swinging
- R. Mondesi struck out looking
Coincidentally, me and Mondesi have the same size feet (very small)