Nobody sets out to break records in Double-A. Heck, Justin Christian didn’t even know he was close to the Thunder’s all-time stolen base record until hitting coach Frank Menechino brought it up to him a couple weeks ago.
There was no ridiculous “I am the greatest of all time” speech or the hoisting of a base to an appreciative crowd. There was a simple announcement on the scoreboard, and a humble former Yankee discussing it with reporters after the game.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s Triple-A, Double-A or even in the big leagues, a record’s a record,” Christian said.
“They’re meant to be broken. I look at it kind of like I’ve been here too long in order to set this record, but for the most part, it’s exciting. It was great.”
Christian, who was been with the Thunder for parts of three seasons (2006-07, 2010) broke the previous record of 101 set by Kevin Thompson, another speedy outfielder who also went on to play with the Yankees.
Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com
