Jose Canseco of the A’s becomes baseball’s first 40-40 player

On September 23, 1988 — Jose Canseco of the Oakland A’s becomes baseball’s first 40-40 player when he swipes his 39th and 40th base in a 14-inning victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-8. The Oakland slugger, who will finish the season with 42 homers and 40 stolen bases, will never have a 30-30 season in his 17 years in the major leagues.

“The game’s been played for 100 years and nobody’s ever done it” Oakland manager Tony LaRussa said last night as Canseco became baseball’s first 40=40 man with 40 homers and 40 steals in one season “IT IS A VERY significant achievement and especially because he’s done it in the framework of winning ball games He hasn’t been hitting cheap home runs and he hasn’t been stealing cheap bases” LaRussa added “You’re not going to find too many guys with his gifts There are some guys who have a chance like Eric Davis but not many guys can have that combination of power and speed”

CANSECO ALREADY HAD 40 homers entering yesterday’s game with the Milwaukee Brewers but he needed two more steals to reach 40 He got No 39 in the first inning and finally swiped No 40 in the fifth after a bunt single That last one was the hardest “When I was going for the 40th I tried but my legs froze on me I didn’t go anywhere All of a sudden they just locked up on me” he said But on the second pitch to teammate Mark McGwire Canseco was in safely He asked umpire John Hirschbeck if he could literally take the bag and then hoisted it above his head as a County Stadium crowd gave him an ovation, Oakland which clinched the AL West earlier in the week went on to a 94 win in 14 innings

CANSECO WHO STOLE ONLY 30 bases in his first two full Major League seasons combined decided he’d go for 4040 in spring training not realizing it had never been done before Ten players have hit at least 30 homers and stolen at least 30 bases in one season including Davis of the Cincinnati Reds who had 37 homers and 50 steals in 1987

Bobby Bonds who had five 30-30 seasons had 43 steals and 39 homers for the San Francisco Giants in 1973 “IN SPRING TRAINING I thought there were other members (40-40) but then when I realized it I said ‘Did I stick my foot in my mouth by saying this?’ ” Canseco said No Jose You didn’t “I stayed consistent the whole season,” said Canseco who hit his 41st homer last night a three-run shot that gave him the Athletics’ club record for RBIs in a season with 120 “I don’t think I had a bad drought except for an O-for-20 And even when I went O-for-20 I was hitting the ball well so the key was staying consistent

“I’M GREATLY REUEVED of having done it I didn’t want to go through the season and end up short and say I stuck my foot in my mouth’” Canseco’s next goal — he’s also scored 118 runs this season — is 200 hits He had three last night giving him 182 for the season “That’s going to be in the way of me resting for the playoffs so basically I don’t think that’s going to be achieved,” Canseco said But there’s always next year and there’s always 50-50 to shoot for “I don’t say it’s impossible just unlikely,” Canseco said

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