May 3, 2009: Rays’ Carl Crawford steals six bases in win over Red Sox

The reigning American League champion Tampa Bay Rays began their 2009 season by taking two of three games against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, less than six months after defeating Boston in Game Seven of the AL Championship Series. But the Rays failed to win their next six series in April. When they returned home to face the Red Sox on April 30, the Rays were last in the AL East Division.

The Red Sox were 14-7 and tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for first in the AL East when they arrived at Tropicana Field,1 but Tampa Bay won the first two games, outscoring Boston 19-2. After losing the third game, 10-6, the Rays needed to win the Sunday afternoon finale on May 3 for their second series win of 2009.

Rays left fielder Carl Crawford, who had claimed four stolen base titles in five seasons from 2003 through 2007, had picked up a steal in each of the series’ first three games. His 11 steals on the season matched Bobby Abreu of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for second in the majors behind Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury, who had 13.

James Shields started for the Rays. The 27-year-old right-hander was 2-2 with a 3.74 ERA in April. He had lost to the Red Sox on Opening Day, giving up five earned runs in Boston’s 5-3 win.

Boston jumped on Shields in the first. Dustin Pedroia singled with one out, and David Ortiz walked. Kevin Youkilis, leading the majors with a .402 average, hit a line-drive single to left field to load the bases. J.D. Drew collected a third single with a line drive just beyond first baseman Carlos Peña’s glove, scoring Pedroia. Shields held the Red Sox to one run after striking out Jason Bay and getting Mike Lowell to fly out.

Thirty-year-old right-hander Brad Penny took the mound for Boston.2 He had signed in the offseason after spending the previous nine years in the National League.3 Penny entered the game 2-0 with an 8.66 ERA. He had won his two quality starts but failed to make it through four innings in his other two starts.

Crawford ignited Tampa Bay in the first. He drew a one-out walk, then stole second and continued to third when catcher Jason Varitek’s throw skipped to the right of the bag and into center field.4 Penny hit Evan Longoria to put runners at the corners. Peña doubled off the wall in right field to score Crawford with the tying run.

Ellsbury hit a two-out single in the second, but Rays catcher Michel Hernández, a 30-year-old rookie, threw him out, denying the Boston center fielder’s bid to increase his league-best steals total.

Crawford reached base again in the third. He hit a chopper to the left side of the infield. Shortstop Julio Lugo fielded it but didn’t throw to first when he saw that Crawford had already reached base. After Longoria flied out, Crawford stole his second base of the game, taking second without a throw.5

Penny stranded Crawford at second in the third inning, but the Rays went in front an inning later. Ben Zobrist drew a one-out walk and took third on Akinori Iwamura’s double.6 Jason Bartlett hit a broken-bat single into shallow left to score Zobrist. Hernández grounded to Pedroia. The second baseman threw it to Lugo, who dropped the ball as he attempted to throw to first to complete the double play.7 Iwamura scored, putting the Rays ahead, 3-1. Hernández stole second for the Rays’ third steal of the game before B.J. Upton struck out for the third out.

“That’s exactly what we were hoping they’d do. Hit it right at (Pedroia) so we could turn two and get the heck off the field,” said Boston manager Terry Francona.8

Shields walked Varitek to start the fifth. But Boston couldn’t capitalize after Shields got the next three batters out on a lineout to center, a forceout, and a fly out.

Crawford led off the Rays’ fifth with a single to right and stole his third base of the game on the next pitch, sliding in ahead of Varitek’s on-target throw.9 With two outs, Crawford picked his spot on a Penny breaking ball, took off for third, and recorded his fourth steal.10 “We’re not holding him on. We’re giving him the bag,” Varitek said of the uncontested steal of third.11 Crawford was stranded when Pat Burrell struck out.

Neither team scored in the sixth. Shields needed just six pitches to retire the side in order in the seventh.

Manny Delcarmen, who had not allowed an earned run in his first 14 innings of 2009, replaced Penny in the seventh. Crawford singled with one out, and made it a five-steal night by swiping second, as the ball popped out of Varitek’s glove before he could throw.12 Crawford reached third when Longoria singled to right. Delcarmen then hit Peña to load the bases and Burrell to force Crawford home, making the score 4-1. Francona pulled Delcarmen for rookie left-hander Hunter Jones, who got the final two outs.

Ellsbury singled to start the eighth. After Pedroia grounded into a forceout at second, Maddon pulled his starter for left-hander J.P. Howell. Shields had thrown 102 pitches through 7⅓ innings, even after laboring through a 30-pitch first inning.

Pedroia stole second. After Ortiz grounded out to Howell with Pedroia reaching third on the play, Youkilis hit a home run over the center field wall, bringing the Red Sox to one run behind the Rays, 4-3.

Drew singled, and Maddon went back to his bullpen for Dan Wheeler. The right-hander walked Bay before retiring Lowell on a flyball to right.

Tampa Bay added an insurance run in the eighth. Bartlett led off with a single. Hernández bunted down the first-base line. Youkilis grabbed the ball and tagged Hernández, but first base umpire Marvin Hudson called the ball foul. Francona didn’t like the call, saying, “That’s not his call. He screwed up.”13

Hernández returned to the batter’s box and sacrificed Bartlett to second. After Boston brought in right-hander Ramón Ramírez, Upton popped out to first. Bartlett stole third for the seventh Rays stolen base. Crawford then hit a slow roller toward the shortstop. Lugo rushed the ball, but his throw was late and Crawford was safe as Bartlett crossed the plate for the Rays’ fifth run.

Crawford then stole his sixth base, just in front of Varitek’s throw,14 tying the American or National League record for most steals in a single game. It was only the fifth time since 1901 that an AL or NL player had stolen six bases in one game. Hall of Famer Eddie Collins did it twice in 1912, then Otis Nixon of the Atlanta Braves in 1991 and Eric Young Sr. of the Colorado Rockies in 1996.15

Tampa Bay flashed the news of Crawford’s accomplishment on the scoreboard and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. “Oh, that’s what they were cheering about?” said Crawford later. “I didn’t look. I was paying attention to the game …We don’t really talk stats during the game … I probably would have broken it if I knew. I didn’t even try. I don’t know if that will ever happen again.”16

Crawford was 17-for-17 in stolen bases for the season. His six steals gave him the major-league lead, four ahead of Ellsbury.17 The Rays also set a team record with eight stolen bases in the game.18 

“I probably had a chance (in the first inning). Some of the other ones I made good throws; some of the other ones I didn’t get the ball out. I’ll take the responsibility,” said Varitek.19

“Crawford, the best way is to keep him off base,” said Francona. “In certain situations, we didn’t cover, we weren’t throwing. It makes a day that (Crawford) had, a spectacular day, look even worse on our end.”20

Rays closer Troy Percival pitched the ninth. He retired the Red Sox on 14 pitches, a pop fly to short, a groundout and a flyout to right field. His first 1-2-3 inning of the season was the 355th save of his career.21 Tampa Bay won its second series of 2009, raising its record to 11-15.

Crawford stole 60 bases in 2009, putting him second in the AL behind Ellsbury’s 70. The Rays came in third in the AL East, 19 games behind the eventual World Series champion New York Yankees and 11 behind the second-place Red Sox, who reached the postseason as the AL’s Wild Card team.22

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Gary Belleville and copy-edited by Keith Thursby.

Photo credit: Carl Crawford, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author used Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for the box score and other material.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TBA/TBA200905030.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2009/B05030TBA2009.htm

Notes 

1 The Red Sox, with a 14-7 record, had a winning percentage of.667. The Blue Jays, at 15-8, had a winning percentage of .652.

2 Penny would turn 31 on May 24.

3 Penny pitched for the Florida Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers from 2000-2008. When Boston signed him, Penny had a 94-75 record with a 4.06 ERA.

4 ESPN SportsCenter, “2009 MLB Highlights May 3-4,” YouTube video (SW 561), 23:26, accessed May 7, 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4nfOYH_9Pc. (0:04 of video.)

5 ESPN SportsCenter, “2009 MLB Highlights May 3-4.” (0:27 of video.)

6 Iwamura had become the Rays regular second baseman in 2008. He stayed in that role until May 24, 2009, three weeks after this game, when he suffered a torn ACL as well as torn ligaments when he turned a double play against the Florida Marlins. Iwamura was out until late August. The injury limited his range, and the Rays traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the season. Marc Lancaster, “Rays Lose Iwamura, Game,” Tampa Tribune, May 25, 2009: 25.

7 Lugo had 42 errors playing shortstop with the Red Sox from 2007 until July 2009 when they traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals for Chris Duncan.

8 Adam Kilgore, “Red Sox Can’t Avoid Harmful Rays.”

9 ESPN SportsCenter, “2009 MLB Highlights May 3-4.” (0:36 of video.)

10 ESPN SportsCenter, “2009 MLB Highlights May 3-4.” (0:42 of video.)

11 Joe Smith, “Crawford Puts on a Clinic,” Tampa Bay Times, May 4, 2009: 4C.

12 ESPN SportsCenter, “2009 MLB Highlights May 3-4.” (0:55 of video.)

13 Amalie Benjamin, “He Allows It’s a Problem,” Boston Globe, May 4, 2009: C3.

14 ESPN SportsCenter, “2009 MLB Highlights May 3-4.” (1:21 of video.)

15 Collins stole six bases twice in 1912, on September 11 and then on September 22. Prior to 1901, two players stole seven stolen bases in one game: George Gore of the NL’s Chicago White Stockings in 1881 and Billy Hamilton of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1894. Hamilton also stole six bases in a game in 1891. As of 2026, Crawford was the last player to steal six bases in one game.

16 Fred Goodall, “Crawford Steals Six Bases in Rays Win,” Daytona Beach News-Journal, May 4, 2009: 4B.

17 Ellsbury eventually finished with 70 steals, the most in the majors. Crawford finished in third place in the majors and second in the AL with 60 stolen bases. Houston Astros Michael Bourn led the NL with 61 steals.

18 As of 2026, the record still stood. Tampa Bay stole seven bases five more times since 2009. The AL/NL record for stolen bases in one (nine inning) game is 15 in an 18-12 win by the New York Highlanders over the St. Louis Browns on September 28, 1911.

19 Amalie Benjamin, “He Allows That It’s a Problem.” Varitek finished the season with just 16 caught steals in 124 attempts (12.9%)

20 Amalie Benjamin, “He Allows That It’s a Problem.”

21 The 39-year-old Percival appeared in six more games, saving three, before going on the disabled list on May 22. He indicated that he was thinking about retiring on August 11. As of May 2026, Percival’s 358 career saves rank 14th in American and National League history.

22 The Red Sox were swept in the AL Division Series by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.