Kyle Higashioka had a rough start in his debut game for the San Diego Padres. But in his next game, he did something incredibly rare that only a few catchers have accomplished since 1961. Higashioka managed to catch two baserunners trying to steal bases and hit a home run in the fourth inning, helping the Padres secure a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.
This achievement puts him in an exclusive group alongside Sammy Taylor (1961 Chicago Cubs), Johnny Romano (1966 Chicago White Sox), Ted Simmons (1975 St. Louis Cardinals), Joe Ferguson (1977 Houston Astros), and Bengie Molina (2000 Anaheim Angels), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Although Higashioka seemed unfazed by his remarkable performance, the Padres needed to avoid a sweep in the three-game series.
“It felt good to have a solid game today after the disappointing first game I had as a Padre. That wasn’t one of my favorite days,” he commented. Higashioka had struck out four times in the Padres’ previous loss to the San Francisco Giants.
Reflecting on his rare achievement, Higashioka remained practical. “I guess it’s cool. Two guys have to try to steal in one inning, so you’re never really in control of that. It just happened,” he remarked. “There are many factors beyond your control, like whether you’re batting that inning or if nobody attempts to steal. I’m just glad I could do my job when the opportunity arose.”
One of the catchers he joined in this rare feat, Ted Simmons, is now in the Hall of Fame. “Nice. I don’t know if my career is heading in that direction,” Higashioka humbly stated.
During the game, Higashioka threw out Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado attempting to steal bases, which greatly aided Padres’ pitcher Joe Musgrove.
“As a pitcher, I struggled a bit with holding those runners on. Some of them are not typical base stealers, and you don’t pay much attention to them until they steal a base on you,” Musgrove explained.
“When your catcher throws them out, it kills momentum and gives me more confidence. It saved me some pitches,” he added, noting that Higashioka’s play in the fourth inning helped him strike out the next batter in the following inning.
