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Red Sox Outfielder Breaks MLB Spring Training Record originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Braiden Ward made March history on Thursday.
The Boston Red Sox outfielder has wreaked havoc on the basepaths this spring. A day after tying the Grapefruit League record with his 16th stolen base, Ward took the record for himself.
Ward swiped his 17th base of spring training during Thursday's game against the Minnesota Twins. That puts him past the 16 bags swiped by Eugenio Velez in 2008 for the MLB exhibition milestone.
In the top of the second inning, Ward successfully stole second base without a throw. He celebrated the moment by taking the bag out of the dirt and playfully lifting it up with a smile.
Jack Lauteret shared footage of the record-setting steal on social media.
Ward discussed his pursuit of history with Baseball Now's Andrew Parker on the "To The Show" podcast before Thursday's game. The 27-year-old said he only recently learned of the record after Red Sox manager Alex Cora mentioned it around his 13th steal.
He teased paying homage to Rickey Henderson's famous celebration after breaking Lou Brock's MLB career stolen bases record in 1991.
"AC brought it up and told me to do it in front of everyone," Ward said. "Now the whole team is kind of behind me. They want me to do it. They're trying to get me to like Rickey Henderson it at the very end. Pick up the bag, like anyone cares, but just kind of a fun thing for the team. So I might do it."
With most of Boston's outfield participating in the World Baseball Classic, Ward has capitalized on the extra playing time. The 5-foot-9 lefty entered Thursday's game batting 13-for-29 with four walks.
Ward knows he still faces an uphill battle to break camp with Boston, but he's focused on what he can control.
"It's absolutely stacked," Ward said. "I don't know how I'm going to get out there. But at the end of the day, I'm just doing what I know how to do and what I can do. "
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