Just how important is speed in baseball? All season long we have witnessed a Boston Red Sox team challenge defenses with aggressive base running. In some memorable instances, the results were quite embarrassing to a player and manager, Alex Cora.
The most recognizable speed factor in baseball is the stolen base. The first memorable stolen base I witness was in 1955 in Game 1 of the World Series when Jackie Robinson swiped home. Stealing home even then was somewhat of a rarity and Billy Martin tried it in the same game only to be nabbed.