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The pickoff attempt isn’t a lost art in baseball, but it’s close. Rule changes in recent years make it so. Convinced fans were exasperated with the number of throws that pitchers were making to first base in an attempt to keep base runners honest, Major League Baseball limited the number of times a pitcher can make that throw to a base instead of a pitch to the plate.

That makes what Portland Sea Dogs pitcher Blake Wehunt did in Thursday’s matinee game against the Hartford Yard Goats notable. Wehunt picked off a pair of runners at first base in the Sea Dogs’ 4-1 loss at Delta Dental Park at Hadlock Field.

This season in Double-A ball, the number of disengagements a pitcher is allowed per plate appearance is one. Step off the rubber for any reason, that’s it. That makes pickoff throws a valuable commodity. Disengage a second time in a plate appearance, and it’s a balk, unless you get the runner out. If he steals, which is a much easier proposition once you’ve used your disengagement, everything resets.

“We picked our spots well today. We got two, and almost got a third that I thought was really close,” said Portland catcher Nate Baez, whose solo home run in the sixth inning accounted for the Sea Dogs’ lone run. “The rule definitely helps the base runner.”

Baez said he and Wehunt, Portland’s right-handed starting pitcher, talked pregame about Hartford’s aggressiveness on the bases. The Yard Goats like to vault, Wehunt said, meaning they’ll keep their feet moving to get a secondary lead and go.

“Our plan going into it was, if they get a runner on first, if first pitch they don’t steal, the very next one we’re going to throw over and hold them,” Wehunt said. “We executed it twice and it worked both times.”

The first came in the top of the first, when Wehunt picked off Andy Perez to end the inning. Wehunt got his second pickoff in the third inning, nabbing Jose Torres for the second out.

Wehunt gave Baez credit for initiating each successful pickoff.

“In Double-A, you only get one disengagement, so you have to use it wisely,” Wehunt said. “A lot of it is having a feel for the game, but it’s also trusting my catcher. Today, Nate gave me both of those signs, and I’m not going to shake him off in that instance. Let’s give it the best shot we can.”

Max Carlson came on in relief of Wehunt in the seventh inning and nearly had a pickoff of his own. It was a day to catch runners leaning toward second base. In the bottom of the third, Yard Goats starter Konner Eaton, a lefty, picked off Franklin Arias to end the inning.

Despite the shrinking place in the game for pickoff moves, Wehunt said he and his fellow pitchers work on them every week. If you have a little time after a game of catch, you can work on your pickoff move with your throwing partner, he said.

It’s only now, when the rules make it less important, that Wehunt feels like he’s become better at pickoffs.

“I’ve definitely gotten better as I’ve gotten older. In my high school days, it was kind of uncomfortable picking off, and in college it was whatever. In pro ball, that’s where I’ve learned to move my feet quick,” he said.

That said, Wehunt hasn’t tried too many pickoff attempts. Just three, he said.

“So I’m 2 for 3,” Wehunt said. “I’ll take it.”