Odds of Catching a Foul Ball

never sniffed, whiffed, or tasted fouls or homers otherwise.

Remember that fan who was at Comiskular last season on the Fan Deck? He caught two significant homers in consecutive games during that last week of the season in which every game was do or die…

That was pretty rare and hilarious….especially when he did his little happy dance.

I didn’t bathe for a week.

If BP doesn’t count I’m coming up bupkissed.

I went with a friend to a game at Wrigley (you turn down a free ticket to a baseball game), and he brought his little brother who must have been like 12 or 13, maybe younger. Day game, bad weather, week day, so it wasn’t very crowded, so we got up there in the front row.

We’re some of the only people out there, with the weather being bad, so the guys shagging kept trying to get him a ball.. but this kid was a pain in the ass, and just kept jumping in front of us. Needless to say he wasn’t an athlete, and kept knocking them down to the field or into that screen thing. Probably had 5 thrown to us, kept one. Obviously had to give the little kid the ball. And once again I was disgusted with a trip to Wrigley, this time before the game even started.

If it I was my brother, I’d have told him to sit his ass down while I caught the ball, but when it’s your not brother you can’t really go around beating the child or verbally berating him in public.

I was about 9 so I brought my glove every time. We were down the third base line. A shot came our way but was several rows short and maybe a section over. It bounced off an elderly womans fingers in her lap and bounded to me. My dad made me give it back. Still havent forgiven him. She should have caught it.

In ST I went to a Sox @ Giants game and took up a spot in left field so I could give Bonds shit. It was 06 when they were trying out 20 loogies who all sucked so the Giants put up over 20 and Bonds was scratched after being in the line-up. Mike Matheny hit a missile off of some bum that went on to drive us all nuts by making the team but for the life of me I cant remember who it was. Anyway, I got up and was moving into position to my left when I bumped into someone also trying for it. Impeded, I extended my hand as if I had a glove on. I didnt. The ball dropped and rolled to a sf fan down the slight decline in front of me. My hand swelled up like a mitt from the 20s and it took a gallon of margaritas to take the sting away physically, but it still hurts mentally knowing I dropped one.

Came close one time at a Sox game. I was at the game with my wife and I remember her asking if foul balls would come where we were sitting, which was pretty high up in the reserved lower deck at old Comiskey, beyond first base. I told her, I hope not because it would have to be a line shot.
Sure enough, late in the game Eric Soderholm hit a screamer that was coming right at us. As it passed under the upper deck and with people scrambling to get out of the way, I lost it for a second. By the time I saw it again it had nicked my wife in the head as she was trying to duck. Security made us go downstairs to check her for injury but she was fine. When we returned to our seats the boos reigned down on me and I took a real heckling from the assholes around us for the rest of the game. They were all telling her I moved my hands away when I saw it going at her. I didn’t have time to think of that…………….
I don’t know who ended up with the ball but a couple of inning later, an usher gave her one autographed by Soderholm.

Odds are, the only way I’ll be getting a baseball at a game, is at the souvenir stand.

I’m an o-fer.

that al holland threw into the bleachers.
got a foul ball at indy when charlotte was playing the indians. aardsma pitched the ball i got but i don’t know who hit it.

We were sitting upper deck 2nd row along one of the baselines, and a pop-up came right at us. The group in front of us got up to catch it, beer flying everywhere, but it fell through the guy’s hands and into the camera well that was kind of bolted on to the deck in front of the 1st row. The guy decided to climb down into that thing and retrieve the ball. Security didn’t take to kindly to that, so they came over and took the ball away from him. The security guard looked around, seeing I was the only little kid in the vicinity, and gave the ball to me.

When the security guard left, my dad told me to give the ball back to the guy. I think it was fair, as thinking back I sure wouldn’t want to climb down into one of those things. That’s the closest I’ve gotten to a foul ball.

I did catch a puck at a Wolves game once.

That said, I’ve had several thrown to me by players pre-game, the first I can remember was by LaRussa when he was with the A’s. A couple by Reggie, one after the 3rd out in Milwaukee, another at the old park here.

I remember HSA and her sister bringing gloves to a game or two, but I never encouraged that. Only their awareness of every pitch and safety.

someone hooked me up with some nice seats, to the right from sox dugout towards behind the plate area, 15-20 rows back. Texas Rangers were in town (at the moment not sure what year it was, 2003-2005) and we were losing the game badly. Towards the end of the game Blalock (I think) hits one foul ball back, it hit the deck where broadcast commentators sit and bounced back right into my hands. It was pretty sweet, I still have it in my room.

Nice topic and responses.
Thanks.

It was probably 10 years ago, in the lovely 500 level, foul ball hit directly back behind home. It bounced off my buddy’s chest and I snagged it. He claimed ownership, but I told him to take a hike, as it was my first (and turns out to be my last so far) MLB ball.

Also…at a Sox/Cubs ST game at Ho Ho Kam, some Cub gave my kid a foul ball. I had her spit on it and throw it at the guy (kidding).

If you just want to impress your kid, take them to a minor league game and either pop for front seats down the line (lots of foul rollers there) or an even better move is to hang out on the concourses. The minor leaguers hit plenty of foul balls just ripe for the taking. With smaller crowds, your odds are much better.