LOS ANGELES _ Catcher A.J. Ellis returned to the clubhouse after the Los Angeles Dodgers' 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Wednesday to find the bag from the first stolen base of his nine-year career at his locker and a beaming Clayton Kershaw, the pitcher responsible for procuring the historic base.
"I called Marvin Hudson, the second base umpire, over and asked if I could have the bag right then," Ellis said of his second-inning swipe of second, his first stolen base in 537 games.
"He said, 'No, you have to wait until between innings.' Then to come here and see Clayton sitting at my locker, smiling and laughing at me, was nice. It's fun to have memories with a bunch of guys you have a shared history with."
Ellis was on first base and Joc Pederson was on third with two outs and a 2-and-2 count on pitcher Brandon McCarthy. When Ellis took off, the logical play for catcher Luke Maile would have been to pump-fake to second or let Ellis have the bag and continue the at-bat against McCarthy.
Instead, Maile bounced a throw into center field, allowing Pederson to score. McCarthy struck out on the next pitch to end the inning.
"In all honesty, we didn't think they'd even be covering second there," Ellis said. "I thought we'd get a catcher's indifference and get to second base."
Manager Dave Roberts told Ellis in spring training that if he stole a base, he would buy Ellis dinner at a restaurant of the catcher's choice.
"I owe him dinner," Roberts said. "So he's pleased."
Plus, Ellis has a novelty item for his trophy case.
"It's a fun little memento because I'm not really known for my speed," Ellis said. "It's nice proof that I did get one. But one's enough."
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