After nearly 2,000 plate appearances, A.J. Ellis stole his first career base

Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis made his Major League debut on Sept. 15, 2008. His first hit came in the 10th plate appearance of his career. His first home run came in his 200th plate appearance. But he waited until after his 1,904th career plate appearance during the second inning of the Dodgers' 3-1 loss to the Rays on Wednesday to do this:

No, your eyes do not deceive you. In his 537th game, Ellis stole his first base. He tried a few times before Wednesday -- including once this year -- but was caught every time. The historical wait must make this swipe extra sweet. 

He was fifth in MLB history in most times on base without a steal. You have traded history for a run, @AJEllis17. https://t.co/2cmz6eUgN6

— Jon Weisman (@jonweisman) July 27, 2016

And don't worry, Ellis seems to appreciate the momentous occasion: "I called [umpire] Marvin Hudson over and asked if I could have the bag right then, but he said no, I had to wait until the inning's over," he told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick after the game. Fortunately, Clayton Kershaw took care of that:

A.J. Ellis' stolen base, rightfully earned. pic.twitter.com/KBs2vwXWfB

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) July 27, 2016

The Dodgers scored their only run of the game on the play, as Luke Maile's throw went into center field -- probably because he couldn't actually believe Ellis successfully swiped second. But as steal expert Dave Roberts takes Ellis to the dinner (he owes his catcher from a bet they made in Spring Training), the rest of MLB turns to what remains the longest steal-less streak in baseball:

A.J. Ellis was 2nd among active players for most PA without a stolen base (1,903 entering today). No longer. Wilson Ramos is 1st (2,118).

— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) July 27, 2016