“I know I didn’t do it a whole lot,” Smith said. “Usually, it was on the backend of a double steal or something. Generally, it’s very tough these days because pitchers do a better job of holding a guy on.”

Henderson doesn’t disagree.

“I think it’s a high risk,” he said. “I think managers don’t believe in it. They feel that the hitters that come up to home plate can drive ‘em in and why take the chance.”

Managers haven’t always been risk-averse. During Cobb’s time and the years heading into the 1960s, stealing home was a strategy that managers pulled from their toolbox. They gave free reign to men like Cobb, Carey, Jackie Robinson and Lou Gehrig, whose career total of 15 ranks ahead of speed demons like Henderson, Maury Wills [two] and Lou Brock [two].

Babe Ruth, a man not renowned for his baserunning, stole home 10 times, which beats the combined total of Henderson, Smith, Wills and Brock.

The only contemporary ballplayer who displayed a knack for stealing home was Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew. His career total stood at 17, and in 1969 alone, Carew stole home seven times.

“All I knew about stealing home was that Jackie Robinson had done it so spectacularly,” Carew said in his autobiography Carew. “I remember seeing newspaper photos of him, with a big hook slide and a lot of dust around home plate and the catcher [Yogi Berra] lunging at him.”

“I know I didn’t (steal home) a whole lot. Usually, it was on the backend of a double steal or something. Generally, it’s very tough these days because pitchers do a better job of holding a guy on.” — Ozzie Smith Hall of Famer who stole 580 bases in his career

But those Kodak moments don’t happen much these days. They’re simply too risky for a game as conservative as baseball. According to Stats Pass, 15 steals of home were recorded last season; its record-keeping makes no distinction between steals on the backend of a double steal or straight steals of home like Ellsbury’s and Sizemore’s.

“It’s really rare, and it’s a pretty exciting play,” Hafner said. “It did cost me an RBI though, ‘cause I did hit a home run that at-bat.”

Drew didn’t match Hafner’s homer. He just doubled, driving home another run in what ended as a 4-2 victory for the Red Sox. All Drew could do, as he talked about Ellsbury steal of home the next day, was to shake his head in amazement.

“I don’t think anybody in the ballpark knew but him,” Drew said. “So, it’s just one of those situations that he’s hoping I don’t take a swing at it.”

He didn’t swing, and Ellsbury was safe, stoking the emotions white-hot inside Fenway.

“I don’t think the opportunity arises too often,” Ellsbury said. “But, yeah, it was pretty neat, you know. I’m not gonna lie about that.”

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