The Only Webpage Exlusively Devoted To The Time That Billy Hatcher Stole Home
August 3, 1992 -- It is a date etched in our national consciousness, a date when everything changed. Just like everyone remembers where they were when Pearl Harbor was bombed or Kennedy was shot, everyone knows exactly what they were doing when Billy Hatcher stole home. There was something in the air at Fenway Park that day, as the Red Sox took on their hated rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the bottom of the third inning, and the two teams were in the midst of an epic showdown, deadlocked at 1-1. With Billy Hatcher on third and 2 outs, and light-hitting Tom Brunansky up to bat, Juan Guzman appeared hell-bent on getting Bruno out, and escaping from the inning unscathed. With hope all but lost, the Red Sox were desperately in need of a miracle. Enter Billy Hatcher. Whilst an unsuspecting Juan Guzman began to wind up, Hatcher took off for home. Most fans were stunned, refusing to believe that the little-known outfielder could pull off such a feat.
But what they didn't know was that Hatcher had been preparing his whole life for this moment. Growing up in Williams, Arizona, Hatcher never had many friends. While other kids his age watched TV and listened to music, Hatcher perfected his baserunning, in preparation for the moment he knew would come. While other children dreamed of being astronauts or rock stars, Hatcher had one simple dream growing up; he wanted to steal home. Stealing second and/or third was never good enough for him; like most great men, Hatcher was overcome with an unbridled ambition to perform the unthinkable. After a lifetime of hard work and frustration, his chance was here, and he knew it. While he stormed down the third base line, he carried the hopes and prayers of an entire lifetime on his back. As he began to slide into home, Pat Borders received Guzman's throw, and futilely attempted a tag. But Hatcher was safe, and as he laid on home plate, a tear rolled down his cheek. His life-long dream had finally been realized.
Looking back, it's hard to believe that Hatcher's famed steal was so long ago. I find it difficult to remember what the world was like before he stole home, because his steal had such a giant impact on me as a person. When Hatcher stole home, I was only eight years old, and I didn't know that much. I had always thought that heroes were only in movies, dreams never came true, and pitchers didn't have to worry about holding a runner on third base; Billy Hatcher changed all that. By moving 90 feet, he moved my soul; through stealing home, he stole my heart. I never got to thank Billy Hatcher for the impact he had on my life, but now, through this website, I feel I have done just that.
Every August 3, Billy Hatcher fans from across the world congregate at Boston Common for a historical recreation of the famed steal
Moments after word of Hatcher's steal reached City Hall, Mayor Tom Menino proclaimed August 3 to be "Billy Hatcher Day" in the city of Boston
No less a source than Nostradamus predicted Hatcher's steal, but even he managed to underestimate the great Hatcher. He foretold that "in the final years of the second millenium, in the heat of battle, a man will attempt to steal the very thing from which he came", then quickly added "but there's no way he'll get past Pat Borders. That guy's a [expletive deleted] brick wall."
HatcherZone News: Up To The Second Information Concerning The Time Hatcher Stole Home
Hilarious Song Parodies Revolving Around Billy Hatcher, And That Time He Stole Home
The Billy Hatcher Stealing Home-Related Joke Of The Day
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The purpose of this guestbook is for people to put up their personal rememberances of August 3, 1992 (where they where, what they were doing, how it affected them, etc.)
