Junior Lake stole his 114th career LIDOM stolen base Wednesday evening, pushing one ahead of Bernardo Tatis, who he was tied with at 113.
It’s an impressive milestone for a player who has been a constant in the game. It will especially be remarkable considering what his individual performance meant in the bigger picture.
Lake went 3-4 on the day, adding a triple and two singles as the Leones del Escogido extended their impressive division lead with a 10-4 win over the Estrellas Orientales. The Leones have a winning percentage of .750 (15-5), which sits almost .200 points ahead of the second-place team in the division (Tigres del Licey is 11-8).
The 34-year-old’s fifth-inning stolen base made history on the day, with Lake now trailing Rafael Landestoy’s 121 bags for fifth all-time in LIDOM.
Underpinning Lake’s historic day was a strong pitching performance from the rest of the Leones’s squad.
Luis Moreno was the primary catalyst on the mound, tossing 3.2 innings of one-run ball. He helped keep Estrellas dormant while the rest of the Leones offense kicked into gear.
Jose Marmalejos was 3-4 on the day with a double and two RBIs, and Reese McGuire was 2-4 with a run scored and a stolen base of his own.
Lake smacked 17 home runs over his five-year MLB career (which he spent the majority of in Chicago); however, he stole just 16 bases.
He’s been a LIDOM stalwart in his non-MLB time, now making history for his baserunning prowess. He’ll also be a significant veteran contributor in Leones’ postseason push.
