In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate. In baseball statistics, stolen bases are denoted by SB. If, however, the defense makes no attempt to put the baserunner out (for example, if the catcher doesn't even look his way), the play is scored as "defensive indifference", and no stolen base is credited to the runner.

Successful base-stealing requires not just simple running speed, but also good base-running instincts, quickness, and split-second timing. The scoring and criteria for awarding a stolen base to a runner is covered by rule 10.07 of the Major League Baseball rule book. In the 19th century, stolen bases were credited when a baserunner reached an extra base on a base hit from another player.

For example if a runner on first base reached third base on a single, it would count as a steal. In 1887, Hugh Nicol set a still-standing Major League record with 138 stolen bases, many of which would not have counted under modern rules. However the first recorded stolen base under modern rules occurred in 1865 when Eddie Cuthbert decided to make it to second base on his own rather than wait for the hit.

Modern steal rules were implemented in 1898, and steals are now only credited when a runner successfully takes an extra base while the ball is being pitched, but not already hit. If the ball is dead on the pitch run on, such as from a foul ball (except caught fly-out), the steal is not allowed and the runner returns to his time-of-pitch base. In addition, if the situation of the game is such that the steal is of little use (usually in the late innings when the runner would not change the game's outcome by scoring), and the catcher does not attempt to throw out the runner, the runner is not credited with a steal, and the base is attributed to defensive indifference.

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