in 1898, wagner won a distance contest in louisville by throwing a baseball more than 403 feet. in august 1899, he became the first player credited with stealing second base, third, and home in succession under the new rule differentiating between advanced bases and stolen bases. he repeated the feat in 1902, 1907, and 1909. wagner retired with the national league record for most steals of home (27), which was broken by greasy neale in 1922.