After receiving his highly anticipated call-up to the Majors on September 2nd, Billy Hamilton finally got a chance to show off every aspect of his game on Wednesday, against the Astros, as he was placed into the lineup for the first big league start of his career.
And he wouldn’t disappoint.
Going 3-4 on the night, Hamilton would also go 4-4 in stolen base attempts — one on a pitchout — becoming the first player to have four stolen bases in their first career start since the live ball era began in 1920.
The last Reds player to record four steals in a game was Felipe Lopez, back in 2006. Though, I have a feeling this isn’t the last time you’ll see Hamilton tally a four bag night. There’s much more to come from Hamilton in the future.
But Hamilton is focused on the present, saying, “My job is to steal bases, no matter how many I get. That’s an accomplishment to get four in one game. Who knows what comes next?”
The four stolen bases Hamilton recorded on Wednesday night make a total of nine for his big league career, in just eight games — fastest to that mark since 1900. The crazy part being that he’s yet to be caught.
Showing the kind of incredible speed he possesses — stealing a total of 155 bases in 2012 — some argue Hamilton is the fastest player the game has seen since Rickey Henderson.
It’s hard to argue with that — proving his speed over and over again.
But more importantly, Billy Hamilton proved to the world on Wednesday that he can perform at the Major League level, and perform incredibly well. If his career to this point is any indication, Hamilton is going to be an extremely special player for the Reds for a very long time.
The Unbiased MLB Fan 