Ceddanne Rafaela stole six bases on Saturday.
Yes, six. In one game.
The Portland Sea Dogs, the Class AA team for the Boston Red Sox, lost their home game 6-2 against the Somerset Patriots at Hadlock Field, but fans were still treated to a show.
The third baseman went 2-for-3 on the day and was walked twice. He made the most of his time on the base paths and set the franchise record for stolen bases in a game.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Rafaela stole two bases in one series. Once he was on first base, he sprinted for second on the first pitch of his teammate’s at-bat. After diving for the base, he made it safely as the catcher overthrew the second baseman. In the next at-bat, with a full count, Rafaela took a large lead off second base and then scrambled to third where he slid to his knees and reached the bag before the pitcher was able to toss the ball to the third baseman. To cap it off, Rafaela took advantage of a botched throw from the catcher to the pitcher and trotted home for the Sea Dogs’ last run of the day.
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The box score listed him with seven steals, but his ninth-inning steal was changed to defensive indifference after the game, according to MLB.com. The Sea Dogs had a team-record nine steals in the game.
Rafaela now has 16 stolen bases through 27 games. He is batting .248 and has hit one home run for the Sea Dogs. The Curacao native is Boston’s No. 2 prospect. He has played third base, second base, shortstop and outfield throughout his career and was given back-to-back honors as the Red Sox’s defensive player of the year for 2021 and 2022.
