Behold the glorious splendor of Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez stealing a base

A smiling Rowdy Tellez raises his arms in celebration as he looks into the Brewers dugout after stealing second base against the Reds during the third inning Friday nigt.
A smiling Rowdy Tellez raises his arms in celebration as he looks into the Brewers dugout after stealing second base against the Reds during the third inning Friday nigt.
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Rowdy Tellez belted his 22nd home run of the year Friday in Milwaukee, but it's his ... uh, speed? ... many fans will remember.

Tellez, the 6-4, 255-pound first baseman, caught the Cincinnati Reds napping in the third inning, taking off for second base without even drawing a throw from catcher Michael Papierski.

"I no-throwed it," Tellez said afterward, referring to the lack of a throw from the backstop. "Speed kills. I can't wait for all the memes that look like cheeseburgers or hot dogs floating in front of me, running. They're going to be everywhere, so it's gonna be fun. Good thing I don't have social media."

It's not Tellez's first career stolen base, sadly, but it is his first since joining the Brewers last year. He also stole one with Toronto on June 12, 2019, though that one also didn't draw a throw as the Baltimore Orioles elected to keep an eye on another runner on third base.

Perhaps emboldened by his newfound speed, Tellez was thrown out trying to steal a week later, one of two caught-stealings in his career. He was also officially caught stealing in 2020, though that was a pickoff play.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell was asked if he thought Tellez's 432-foot blast in the first inning or the stolen base was more impressive.

"I don't watch many homers," Counsell said. "That was worth watching, where it landed. I thought it had a chance for that next deck."

Statcast ranks Tellez 490th out of 504 Major League Baseball players in sprint speed. But hey, he's now back in front as the team leader in home runs.

Fans gave Tellez a hearty applause after the theft Friday. Starter Eric Lauer doesn't think it stops here, and he also suggested it was the perfect medicine for a team on a frustrating four-game skid.

"He's gonna steal another one this year," Lauer opined. "I'm going to bet him. If he doesn't steal another one this year, I'm gonna be upset.

"It's the fun of the game, that's the part where it's one of those, we're still just big kids playing a game. It's a lot more serious than that. But those little fun moments where you get to just have fun with the game, take away the stress and the anxiety that it causes and just be like, 'Wow, that's something you're not going to see (except) for every once in a while.'"

So does Tellez have another stolen base in him this year?

"No," Tellez said flatly. "If it happens again, maybe. I only have two in my career. I'm still out of breath. It was good; I got a lot of razzing and my phone is blowing up. Not about hitting home runs, but about that."

JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rowdy Tellez records first stolen base with Brewers