Overview
A stolen base is credited when a runner advances a base unaided by a hit, a putout, an error, a force-out, a fielder's choice, a passed ball, a wild pitch or a balk (Rule 9.07 of the Official Baseball Rules); the typical case is a runner who breaks during the pitch or a pickoff attempt and beats the throw to the base. NPB's career record is Yutaka Fukumoto's 1,065 stolen bases for Hankyu (1969-1988, as of September 3, 2026); Fukumoto passed Lou Brock's then world record in 1983. Fukumoto also holds the single-season record of 106, set in 1972 (as of the end of the 2025 season). Success requires not just speed but keen observation of the pitcher's pickoff tendencies and split-second timing on the jump. Sabermetrics evaluates a steal attempt by its effect on run expectancy, which sets a break-even success rate; attempts with low success rates are judged to cost more runs than they create. However, runners who maintain high success rates while running aggressively continue to provide value to their teams by putting pressure on defenses and creating scoring chances.