WATCH: Pirates pitch out, Billy Hamilton steals second base anyway

The Pirates pitched out ... but Billy Hamilton stole second base anyway on Thursday.

Billy Hamilton stole second on a pitch out Thursday. (USATSI)

I don't think many people will argue with me saying Billy Hamilton is the fastest man in baseball. The best base-runner? Not necessarily. The Reds center fielder had 56 steals but a pedestrian 71 percent success rate in 2014. But best raw speed? You bet.

On Thursday afternoon (GameTracker), the Pirates tried to combat Hamilton's speed with a standard pitch out. Good idea, but Hamilton beat it anyway:

Golly is he fast. Now, if he could only reach base 30 percent of the time ...