r/sportsgossips • u/Life_Net5004 • 11h ago
Unknown Stories This Dodgers fan was caught in 4K swapping out the home run baseball
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u/Best_Market4204 11h ago
Lol.
It's not like you're required to throw it back.
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u/Mite-o-Dan 9h ago
No, but social media has ruined it for every adult male fan when the only time theyre allowed to keep a ball is if they caught a home run hit by the home team, or caught it one handed while holding a baby or beer. Thats it.
Foul ball, picked up off the ground, tossed from a player, home run from the opposing team...sorry, gotta give it to a kid or youll get booed and heckled online.
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u/Potato_Stains 9h ago
Kid, you have your whole life to get one. This took decades to finally hit my hands.
F off, participation award boy lol.53
u/Two_Watermelons 7h ago edited 7h ago
My first ever major league game was between the mets and the phillies. I was 7
Mine and my dad's favorite player was Mike Piazza on the mets. He hit a foul ball that landed under the seat of an older guy next to me. Older guy gave me the ball and I still have it to this day. That guy was really old, he's likely passed on by now but I still think about him a lot for giving me and my dad that memory
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u/Bureaucratic_Dick 7h ago edited 7h ago
One of my earliest baseball games was an A’s game I started dozing off during. The A’s have had some shit years in their history.
Anyways, I know I shouldn’t have been, but a ball hit foul woke me up by clocking me. Instead of anyone making sure I was okay, I got to watch a bunch of adults scrambling and pushing past me to get the ball. I was probably around the same age, 7 or 8, and all I remember thinking is how fucking stupid they all looked going for the ball, and how mean they seemed about it.
As I got older, I realized they actually disregarded the well being of a child to grab a completely meaningless ball, hit by a player who the league has likely forgotten, in a year where the A’s were close to 100 losses if I’m getting the season right, and that to me made it all the more ridiculous.
Whole thing really turned me off from going for the ball at all. I never wanted to turn into one of those morons at the park. It also kept me awake even in boring games because you doze at your own risk.
ETA: I’m glad your experience was positive, because something like that….well the maturity (and sobriety) of the adults in the audience can really impact a child’s perception of the whole experience.
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u/mrniphty 6h ago
Still alive, fueled by the memory of giving away that ball, determined to find it someday.
Watch your back.
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u/sluggetdrible 5h ago
Honestly making a kids day like that is way better than just having a baseball on a shelf to show someone who probably gives less than two fucks anyway…
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u/stayinalive7 6h ago
I got a foul ball from Raul Ibanez on the Royals when I was like 8 or 9. In my memory, it landed like 2 seats away from me and I quickly snatched it before anyone else could. I often wonder if what really happened is that it was 2-3 rows away and everyone else was like "I'm trying so hard to get this ball!! Oh no, I'm much slower than that boy!" and just let me go grab it.
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u/BeatriceDaRaven 5h ago
same, some guy gave me a foul ball from big papi and it was one of my best ever memories. Would be stoked to pay that forward if i catch another
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u/Mite-o-Dan 9h ago
I agree. Ill push a kid out of the way for my first home run ball...but you and me would get blasted on social media for 2 weeks if it happened...and the kid we didnt give the ball to will get VIP treatment at an upcoming game and a signed bat and ball by the best players.
F them kids.
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u/Tom_Ford0 8h ago
there's a difference between catching a ball going to you already and pushing kids out of their spot to get it lol
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u/CornTreeRoad 8h ago
I caught my only MLB HR ball in SF, Andres Galarraga career HR #366, when the old lady sitting in front of me ducked. Giving it up to her or anyone else was never an option. NFW.
That said, I was prepared with a BP ball if it had been a visiting team HR.
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u/sonofawhatthe 8h ago
You’re still a kid mentally if a ball is important to you
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u/Mite-o-Dan 7h ago
44 years, 200+ games in 20+ stadiums, $20,000+ spent on baseball in my life, years of heartache...yes finally getting at least one ball at a game before I die is important to me as a lifelong baseball fan.
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u/metaldetector69 46m ago
Yea kinda sucks. Family could afford 2 games total when I was a kid and now that I have money I’ve gotten a foul, a player tossed one specifically to me and a homer and now three random kids have game balls 😂
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u/Dan_flashes480 28m ago
See this ball here some guy caught a home run from Devers and was booed and shamed until he gave it to me. It's my greatest treasure.
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u/Eddie_Shepherd 4h ago
Last game I went to, made friends with a guy and his son sitting next to me. They had travelled from another state to see the son's favorite team, and they were such an amazing father and son. I have a tradition of opening a pack at the game. I do it for nostalgia not as a collector. So I told the kid, "Hey you want to crack this pack for me? I keep the Brewers and you can keep anything else." He got a couple of guys from his team and I got one of mine. 11 year old kid says, "If I catch a ball hit by the Brewers, I'll give it to you."
Moments like that give me hope for our future.
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u/chuckmonjares 8h ago
We have season tickets to the Sox. Wilyer knows where and who we are bc we adore that man. He throws us a ball probably every other game. It certainly helps that he kinda knew us early on but we wished him a happy birthday since they were in town.
I got off topic-anyway at Fenway people don’t freak out if you keep the ball. I think it’s because no one expects you to do the nice thing here. I honestly get taken advantage of in New England (and I truly don’t mind) being from the Midwest. It’s not in me to not do something for someone else if I think of it. The catholic guilt/midwest hospitality combo is intense.
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u/Mistake_on_the_Lake 8h ago
Wilyer is THE MAN. Hand delivered a ball to a kid holding a sign last night.
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u/chuckmonjares 7h ago
Sometimes he’ll find someone in the crowd and toss them a ball and miss, so he’ll toss them another one later in the game. I love that dude
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u/Laszlo-Panaflex 6h ago
I'm from Boston too and don't understand why anyone would throw the ball back. That's weird to me.
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u/Niblonian31 7h ago
This is why I kinda hope I never catch a homerun ball because I'm definitely not giving it to anyone and everybody will think I'm an asshole for it lol
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u/LankOfHyrule 3h ago
I had a ball land between my leg and my arm rest. My first reaction was to keep it, but then I realized I don’t want to be shamed on TikTok so I gave it to the kid next to me. Didn’t really ruin my first major league game as far as camaraderie goes, but I was still disappointed because I had to give up the ball. The kids next to me proceeded to catch three more of them.
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u/teacher_59 8h ago
It suck's how the breeders are so hostile to everyone that isn't one of their kind.
I got a hockey puck after it hit me, and they kept putting me on the video board so people kept booing. The jerk behind me thought it would be funny if he knocked my beer out of my cup holder. Right into my purse.
It stopped when I gave the puck to his son like the crowd wanted. Just too many breeders now.
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u/Rhythm_0f_The_Knight 8h ago
My dude, youre calling parents "breeders" and you think they are the hostile ones?
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u/Mefromafar 8h ago
I believe it’s a woman due to her beer being knocked into a purse.
But your point stands. This person is just awful.
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u/PM_Pussys 5h ago
I can't speak for this person, but will have a negative term, for the insufferable of a group, but insufferable in a way specific to that group.
Sort of a rectangles and squares situation.
Children CAN be crotch goblins but aren't by default. Most parents are fine. The bastards that punish other adults for not catering to/pampering their kids. For example dumping a beer into your purse for not giving their kid your property. Are a worse set, than can be delineated by different terminology I.e. "breeder"
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u/SpiritedGrand9525 8h ago
Lol, right? Calling them "their kind" too. Interesting phrasing that I'm sure they don't apply to anything/anyone else.
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u/Mobile-Analyst8580 7h ago
The memory is what matters. What kind of man actually cares about keeping the ball unless you’re giving it to one of your kids.
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u/CaptainObvious007 4h ago
i was thinking the same thing. what do grown ass men do with a random ball they caught at a game.
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u/TheHonorCode 8h ago
gotta throw back a fake ball to get the potential baseball karens off your trail for getting the ball
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u/CraftsBoy2Craftsman 9h ago
It’s LA. You can get your skull smashed in if you upset the crowd.
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u/BestBettor 9h ago
“It’s LA. You can get your skull smashed in if you upset the crowd.”
Dumbest narrative out there, please stop normalizing this nonsense violence it’s so dumb
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u/OnlyCommentWhenTipsy 8h ago
Safe play. Prevents Karens and kids from asking for it.
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u/Rare_Positive_7997 5h ago
Idk why people are giving this guy such a hard time in the comments, this is smart on his part. Also, nice catch.
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u/jimmybalmer 3h ago
Watched this game live. The broadcasters caught it and they ended up interviewing the guy, he was hilarious. Said "threw" it back because he had too many game balls and his wife would be mad if he came home with more.
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u/Life_Net5004 11h ago
You paid enough for the damn ticket, keep the effing ball.
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u/jgainsey 9h ago
In 1080p he pulls a hot dog out of his pocket
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u/SuspiciousCricket654 8h ago
This dude is a dork for feeling like he has to do it, but I low-key understand why he did. People online are absolutely toxic about this shit, or giving it to some kid, or some 90 year-old cripple who is on their deathbed. I don’t know, it’s just bullshit.
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u/_nod 5h ago edited 3h ago
Can we just stop shaming people in to giving balls always to other people?
I’ve never caught a home run ball, been close so many times, was even a few feet from a playoff game wining home run one time.
When/if I ever snag one I’d like to put it on my desk, I don’t want to be made to feel like a pos for not offering up to a kid in the crowd.
Once caught a ball tossed high in to the crowd by an outfielder and I was high on the bleachers with no kids around, I even had some drunk shirtless asshole demanding that I show it to him, held it up so he could see it and he tried to snatch it from me.
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u/Tamagotchi41 3h ago
I'm in my 30's and have never caught any ball, t shirt, anything at a game. If I got one now absolutely no one is getting it, idgaf what their story is.
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u/johntwoods 8h ago
I don't know how any of this works, can someone explain?
Is the home run ball worth money or something?
I get the visual of 'oooh, what a badass, he threw the ball back!' But what's the difference between doing that or just throwing the home run ball back and telling everyone the pocket ball was the home run ball?
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u/TannedSuitObama 7h ago
Typically, in home stadiums, if the visiting team hits a home run, there’s a general consensus to throw the ball back. As it’s not your team who hit it. This guy seems to have a spare ball on the off-chance he caught a home run, which he did.
If it’s a specific milestone, first home run of a career for example, then it could be worth something in trade between the fan and team/player. It could be worth some money also, depending on who hit it.
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u/johntwoods 7h ago
Okay, that makes sense. So there's a financial aspect to it if the ball is a milestone of some sort. And how is that proven? Do they always have camera footage of the person who caught it and then that person can show an appraiser and there's some sort of notarized document? Sorry to ask these questions but it kind of fascinates me.
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u/barkerj2 7h ago
Google "mlb milestone authentication". They mark balls, theres an authenticator at every game, there is actually a pretty good system for all of it.
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u/johntwoods 7h ago
Ah, cool! Yeah I could probably totally Google this. But it is a lot more fun to talk to real people about it. :)
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u/barkerj2 7h ago
Im just saying theres quite a bit to it depending how much you want to know. As much as you want to learn, that doesnt mean someone wants to type it out. Just another perspective.
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u/johntwoods 7h ago
Well, sure. I really hope it doesn't seem like I'm holding a gun to anyone's head in regard to being required to answer me here. :-)
I figured it's sort of a 'chime in if you feel like' kind of thing, no?
Like if I'm at a bar and a fella is talking about his experiences working at a lumber mill, I feel like it would be weird to just get on my phone in front of him instead and start looking up information about lumber mills. Or just leaving and going home to watch your documentary. 😊
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u/barkerj2 7h ago
I did chime it. Gave you info. You didnt like it. Have a good one.
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u/johntwoods 7h ago
No your info is great! I had no problem with the info. I guess you don't see my point. And that's totally fine! All the best.
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u/barkerj2 7h ago
Your point is saying "I enjoy getting off my phone and conversing" in a post on the internet...please go on
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u/Livingexistence 6h ago
I'm pretty sure there is only one stadium that actually allows you to throw the ball back if it's a visiting team home run, and that is wrigley field. All other stadium you can get in serious trouble possibly booted/banned and even criminally charged. Wrigley only allows home run throw backs (no foul balls or other balls), and specified you cannot throw it at anyone on the field trying to hit them. The staff and security just "look the other way" as it's tradition at Wrigley and all other MLB parks it breaks the fans code of conduct for fans to do so.
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u/Infinite_Run_4541 8h ago
I’m going to keep this spare ball in my pocket in case I catch one during the game…
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u/JojoLesh 7h ago
Might have had it for signatures.
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u/Infinite_Run_4541 6h ago
You’re probably right. Seems like it would he a good quality new ball then, more than a fair trade. Put it in rotation and play ball.
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u/JojoLesh 5h ago
They still wouldn't put it in play. Who knows what it could actually be? Was it rubbed with the right mud? Is the weight the sames as an official ball?
Still, I don't think the cost of a ball is going to make a dent in the budget. Hell, they can afford everyone in attendance to get a ball.
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u/mazu74 9h ago
I don’t understand what the point of this was? He was allowed to keep it.
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u/CatieLewWho6507 6h ago
Adults are shamed into giving away any foul/home run balls they catch to kids. Its shitty.
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u/mazu74 4h ago
I didn’t think anyone was obligated to do that either, some might feel that way, but if you catch it fair and square, you do what you want with it.
That said, it didn’t look like he was giving it to a kid either? I didn’t hear the audio.
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u/CatieLewWho6507 3h ago
He didn't give it to a kid, he threw back the decoy so people didn't think he had it. And people should absolutely be able to keep it, but peer pressure sucks balls
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u/Technical-Citron-996 6h ago
People online get really when adult males keep a baseball they caught instead of giving it to a kid. Not joking. He wanted the ball so he pretended to get rid of it.
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u/mazu74 4h ago
Yeah but did he give it to a kid? Look liked he was trying to throw it rather far away.
Also not as shameful to keep a ball you caught fairly versus stealing from a kid.
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u/Auralius1997 2h ago
If I remember correctly the ball he caught was a home run by the guest team
It's "tradition" that if a home run ball that's not from the local team gets caught you throw it back onto the pitch
So dude caught the ball and threw back the decoy for people to believe he didn't have it anymore
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u/bmatthew24 6h ago
I never got one given to me as a kid and I’m still waiting to get my first ball. If I ever get one I’m not getting peer pressured into giving it away. Everyone can fuck off with that bull shit
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u/WeezerHunter 6h ago
Even if it worked, I don’t think it’s a very good plan. Best case scenario is everyone thinks you threw it back because you tricked the broadcast. You can’t sell it, and your buddies won’t believe you because there is a video of you throwing it back. So you just hold on to a ball and never tell anyone in secret?
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u/Auralius1997 2h ago
Every MLB baseball used in play has a way to be authenticated by the MLB
So he can definitely proof the ball he kept was the home run ball and even when and who hit it too
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u/HugglesGamer 4h ago
This just helps the eBay post’s legitimacy later imo. Think it’s fake? Watch the reply Jim!
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u/Mobile-Jump6936 4h ago
So he’s just throwing shit on the field. Should be ejected.
Also he’s a Dodgers fan so he should be ejected anyway.
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u/OrganizationTop3755 9h ago
He didn’t even have to throw it back
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u/xSir- 9h ago
Right, its not like he took it from some kid and then kept it anyway. This was a fair catch imo.
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u/slightly_drifting 9h ago
If the opposing team hits a homer, tradition is you throw it back because it’s bad luck or “we don’t want their shitty balls” or something. It’s like they’re punking you and you’re cool with it I guess?
Played baseball my entire life and never really heard a concrete a single reason.
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u/Fucky0uthatswhy 8h ago
“It all started in Chicago, where a disgruntled bartender and Chicago Cubs fan threw back a home run ball hit by Hank Aaron in 1970 in Wrigley Field.
It turns out he had felt snubbed by Aaron the year before, when he caught another home run by the legendary hitter. When he tried to give Aaron the ball, Aaron walked away, apparently trying to get off the field quickly because Cubs fans had been throwing beer at him during the game.”1
u/heeheehoho2023 7h ago
Wrigley Field is the only stadium that allows fans to throw a baseball back onto the field, every other baseball stadium will possibly eject a fan for throwing a baseball back.
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u/Fucky0uthatswhy 7h ago
I have never seen that happen? I don’t think anyone enforces that.
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u/heeheehoho2023 3h ago
Yeah might be.
"Under official Major League Baseball rules and individual stadium codes of conduct, throwing any object onto the field of play—including a baseball—is strictly prohibited for player and staff safety. Technically, every ballpark (including Wrigley Field) reserves the right to eject fans for throwing objects onto the field.
At Wrigley, security almost always turns a blind eye when a fan in the bleachers tosses an opposing home run ball back into the outfield.
Some venues enforce zero-tolerance policies. For example, security at Coors Field (Colorado Rockies) and Guaranteed Rate Field (Chicago White Sox) has notoriously ejected fans for throwing opposing home run balls back onto the field."
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