20 years ago, Lloyd McClendon made history by stealing first base

Twenty years ago, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon did something that was seemingly impossible in baseball — he stole first base.

It all happened on June 26, 2001, at PNC Park, with the Pirates playing the Milwaukee Brewers.

Upset over a close play at first base that didn’t go the Pirates’ way, McClendon came out to argue. He was quickly ejected by first-base umpire Rick Reed, which led to an epic meltdown. McClendon tossed his cap, had a few more choice words for Reed and kicked the infield dirt before making the decision that still resonates today.

McClendon walked over to first base, yanked it out of the ground and tucked in under his left arm before heading to the dugout. The blowup made all the highlight shows and even “Good Morning America.”

“I guess it’s amusing to a lot of people,” McClendon said the next day. “But I didn’t think it was funny when I was doing it. Now that it’s over, I wish I wouldn’t have done it.”

The base sat next to outfielder Brian Giles’ locker the next day.

“I didn’t realize I’d ripped the skin off all my knuckles trying to get that damn thing out of the ground,” McClendon recalled in 2009. “I said, ‘Damn, that hurts.’ “

Catcher Jason Kendall, who had been called out at first on the disputed play, said McClendon’s actions showed how much he cared.

“That’s the first time in six years that you know someone has got your back,” Kendall said at the time. “And he was out there quick. That shows he cares. That’s why he has full control of this team. He has us in the palm of his hands. I appreciate it, and I’m sure the 24 other guys in here appreciate it.”

With the passage of time, McClendon’s views on his outburst have softened a little bit.

“I have to say, it’s probably not my proudest moment,” McClendon told the Trib in 2009. “But it’s probably the most comical.”