Who's got a ball at a game and what's the story?

[Darkleaf]

Well I just came back from Cleveland, where I watched the Jay's sweep the Indians. The third game was epic to me at least, I went alone on business and on Wednesday I decided to have a few beers (12:05 game).
I'm wearing my Reed Johnson jersey #3 catching a lot of flack from the Indian's faithful, you can imagine the type of things when Johnson and 3 are involved haha..

Down 4-3 top of the 9th 2 out 2 strikes man on first, the Indians crowd cheering, standing people going nuts boom Adam lind deflates the whole place with a 2 run knock to left field, it was amazing the whole crowd just shuts up, me and a couple of other Jays fans are the only one's cheering bottom of the ninth Choo hits a double but that's it Jays win! First sweep of the Indians in 8? years!

The Jays get together mid field then Jose Bautista tosses me the final out ball after I yelled "Hey Jose!" and held my glove up. What an amazing game all around, I had a chance to grab a ball off a foul earlier in the game but I couldn't lean over the rail anymore without risking tumbling into the field it just ticked off my glove, so to end up with a ball anyways was sweet!

After years of near misses and giving away a foul ball I caught to some little kid sitting beside me I finally got a ball! Damn it's just a simple thing but one I will never forget!

I had a great time in Cleveland, a lot of really nice people and a gorgeous ballpark anybody else ever nabbed a ball at a game? Whats the story behind it?

I'll post some pic's in a bit.

[TheLetterZ]

Re: Who's got a ball at a game and what's the story?

My story is similar to yours.

I was sitting in the first row down the third base line at Petco Park for a Phillies-Padres game last summer. Gwynn, Jr. hit a foul popup toward me. Pedro Feliz caught it for the third out and handed me the ball.

[NYJets]

Re: Who's got a ball at a game and what's the story?

Minor league game, New Haven Ravens. Little league picnic. They hit a homerun that bounced off the back wall of the picnic area. Me and like 50 other kids chased after it and I got to it.

Just missed getting a foul ball at my first Yankee game in 96. It landed a section over from us where no one was sitting and some kid beat me to it by a step.

[19]

Re: Who's got a ball at a game and what's the story?

When I was 11, I caught a foul ball of off Craig Grebeck's bat at New Comiskey. He was righthanded so he kind of shanked the ball into the section in front of me. The ball hit out of one person's hand, bounced on top of two seats (not many people in the section) right to me and I snagged it with my right hand. Got a nice little round of applause too. I got the ball signed by Robin Ventura later that year and I still have it sitting in a case in my gameroom.

I'm almost 30 years old now and I still think it's cool I caught a foul ball.

[vernond]

Re: Who's got a ball at a game and what's the story?

I didn't get a foul ball but I used to go to a lot of Wichita Wrangler games as a kid they were the Padres AA then Royals AA team before David Glass shipped them off to his buddies hometown in Arkansas. Anyway, I did have a ball autographed by Darren Dreifort and Chan Ho Park when they were playing for San Antonio that I was sure would be worth a ton some day, we see how that turned out. I did get Johnny Damon's autograph though and a bat from a Midland Angel. Those were the days.

[Blzer]

Re: Who's got a ball at a game and what's the story?

I was actually about to make a thread like this a couple days ago, I guess I forgot.

Anyway, every ball I've gotten was a batting practice home run ball, and I've caught all of them. That's right... no foul balls, no in-game home run balls, and no scrambling for a fumbled ball after tossed into the stands when an inning ends. They were all batting practice home run balls, and two of them were bare-handed. I still have the balls and remember each player that hit them:

- Sean Casey (Reds)
- Phil Nevin (Padres)
- Shea Hillenbrand (Diamondbacks)
- Robert Machado (Cubs)
- Vladimir Guerrero (Angels)

All but Machado's were at AT&T Park when the visiting team was hitting, and Machado's was at a game in Dodger Stadium when the Cubbies were in town. It's such an awesome feeling catching it.

I once almost approached one to catch in a game, but I ran right into a rail, it was kind of hilarious. It was an A's game about four years ago and Milton Bradley homered in the bottom of the 9th. EDIT: I found the video of it in their top plays archive, and maybe you'll find a blur that runs into a rail... I'm looking into it haha.

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl_3_1.jsp?w_id=484675&w=2006/open/tp/archive04/041406_texoak_bradley_hr_tp_350.wmv&pid=mlb_tp&gid=2006/04/14/texmlb-oakmlb-1&mid=200604151401514&cid=mlb&fid=mlb_tp350&v=2

[ASB37]

Re: Who's got a ball at a game and what's the story?

Went to a game last year with my father at Yankee Stadium. Had 2 close foul balls, one of which hit off my hand. I've never been so pissed off for not catching a ball.

Another time at Shea I had seats along the third base line and had a ball hit off my glove while leaning over the railing. I guess I'm pretty awful at fielding foul balls hahah.

[Blzer]

Re: Who's got a ball at a game and what's the story?

Went to a game last year with my father at Yankee Stadium. Had 2 close foul balls, one of which hit off my hand. I've never been so pissed off for not catching a ball.

Another time at Shea I had seats along the third base line and had a ball hit off my glove while leaning over the railing. I guess I'm pretty awful at fielding foul balls hahah.

I remember once going to a Giants game when a fan reached for a ball, fumbled it for about a whole second, then let it drop down to the lower deck. Everyone around the stadium, who kind of initially cheered thinking he caught it, gave him a cascade of boos. Then the scoreboard said, "SCORE THAT PLAY: E-FAN". The whole crowed kind of laughed and cheered (you can't really tell that they're laughing in a stadium like that, it's more like an "AHHHHHH"). It was hilarious!

[ASB37]

Re: Who's got a ball at a game and what's the story?

I remember once going to a Giants game when a fan reached for a ball, fumbled it for about a whole second, then let it drop down to the lower deck. Everyone around the stadium, who kind of initially cheered thinking he caught it, gave him a cascade of boos. Then the scoreboard said, "SCORE THAT PLAY: E-FAN". The whole crowed kind of laughed and cheered (you can't really tell that they're laughing in a stadium like that, it's more like an "AHHHHHH"). It was hilarious!

Hahaha, that's great. I love when people get on fans for not making the play so to speak in the stands. It's all in good fun.

[Sportsforever]

Re: Who's got a ball at a game and what's the story?

I have only caught one...a batting practice home run ball by Andruw Jones back in Turner Field in 1998. We ended up using it to play with and it was destroyed long ago...

[redskinrussell]

Re: Who's got a ball at a game and what's the story?

I've had a few close calls before I got a ball.

In '04 at Comerica, Carlos Lee jacked 2 homers into the Left Field Pavilion seating with one of them about 3 seats to the left of where I was sitting. The guy ended up whiffing on the catch, went right through his hands. They gave out visors for the fans that day and the guys dad and brothers were all ragging on him saying that he should have used the visor to catch it, he wouldve had a better chance.

In '07 at Wrigley a friend and I were sitting on the 3rd base line and a player for the Marlins smoked a shot in foul territory and it hit my friend right in the hands. Glad he took the shot cuz that ball came flying in there fast. Gave him quite the nice stinger.

I finally got a ball in '07 at US Cellular watching a Tigers/Sox game. I was entertaining a friend from Michigan in Chicago and we went to the game. We both had Tigers jerseys on and Bobby Seay was shagging batting practice flyballs. He caught one and I was yelling "Bobby Seay you're the man!" and he turned around and tossed it to me.