Spring Training games don’t count for much.

Many of the players won’t make the Opening Day roster. Several games are only available on the radio. Major League Baseball’s Modern Era began in 1901, and the league only began tracking spring training stats in 2006.

Which is what makes it the perfect time to, as Gen Z’ers say, do something for the plot.

Like outfielder Braiden Ward, who’s been zipping around the Grapefruit League base paths like the Looney Tunes’ Road Runner.

In Thursday’s 8-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins, the Red Sox non-roster invitee stole his 17th base, a new spring training record. And to celebrate, he pulled the second base bag out of the dirt and held it aloft, Rickey Henderson-style.

Ward told reporters the Henderson tribute started off as a joke by teammate Marcelo Mayer, but the idea grew legs when manager Alex Cora didn’t nix it.

“I wasn’t going to do that in general but they were all egging me on, egging me on,” Ward told. “And then AC didn’t say no. … And then (Trevor) Story was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ And then everyone was like, ‘You’ve got to do it. You’ve got to do it.’ ”

Henderson, who passed away last year, became MLB’s stolen base king in 1991, just 14 years into his 25-year Hall of Fame career. Nicknamed “Man of Steal,” he swiped 1,406 bags in all, including eight with the 2002 Red Sox during his penultimate season.

Much like Cy Young’s 749 complete games, Henderson’s record is unlikely to be broken. The game is too different now. The league’s active leader in career stolen bases is 36-year-old Starling Marte, who has 361 steals in 14 seasons and is one of just three active players to reach 300.

The Red Sox all-time leader is Harry Hooper, who stole exactly 300 bases in a 12-year Boston tenure that spanned the 1909-20 seasons. Hooper, Tris Speaker (1907-15) and Jacoby Ellsbury (2007-13) are the only players to steal more than 168 bases in a Red Sox uniform.

The Colorado Rockies selected Ward in the 16th round of the 2021 draft. He reached Triple-A last season, and has stolen 211 bases in 414 career minor league games. He’s 17 for 18 in stolen base attempts in his first Red Sox camp.

“I had no idea what the record was until someone had mentioned it on Twitter when I had 12,” Ward said. “And then I was like, ‘Wait, 16’s doable. 17’s doable at the rate I was going.’ AC was just like, ‘Go out there and run. Do your thing.’ ”

“He’s a good base runner,” Cora told reporters. “It’s not like he’s out there just running for the hell of it.”

Indeed, Ward is trying to crack a Red Sox roster overcrowded with All-Star and Gold Glove outfielders.

“I’m trying to impress him, impress the team, find a role on this team,” Ward said of Cora. “And so I’m just trying to do what I can do, and so hopefully we can get to 20, 25 and just keep going.”

The chances of Ward, who turned 27 on Jan. 18 and has yet to make his major league debut, coming close to Henderson’s career total are hair-thin, at best.

But that’s not what spring training is about.

“How often do you get to do something like that?” Ward said. “It’s for the boys, you know what I mean? It was something for us and for us to celebrate a little bit during spring training. Spring training’s supposed to be fun and laidback.”

Red Sox game notes

Connelly Early allowed one earned run and one unearned run on five hits, walked one and struck out one in his 3 2/3-inning start. He threw 62 pitches, 41 for strikes.

The Red Sox were out-hit 12-11, went 4 for 16 with runners in scoring position, and left eight men on base. Trevor Story and newcomer Caleb Durbin contributed multiple hits and a triple apiece. Story also doubled and scored a run in his 3 for 4 day.

The game featured four ABS challenges, but only Connor Wong proved successful.

Red Sox minor leaguer Noah Song allowed two hits and struck out one in his inning of work on Thursday, but has yet to allow a run through five spring training appearances totaling six frames.