Foul balls going into the stands often produce either impressive or disastrous results for the fans who try to catch them. One fan at Truist Park for Saturday’s game between the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves got both on the same foul ball.
When a foul ball was hit into the seats down the third base line, one fan was presented with a few options. One was to let the ball go. It can’t be stated enough that this is always a viable choice for any fan over the age of about 12. Since the ball was not hit right at him, option No. 2 was to play it on the bounce. But there, you’re relying on the bounce of a ball. And with that in mind, this fan chose option No. 3, which was to dive for the ball.
It's the effort that counts 😬 pic.twitter.com/i1A3ibu9jP
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) July 9, 2022
Looking at what happened, we can only guess that he came away with some bangs and bruises. But that’s not all that he came away with. While he didn’t catch the ball, he did manage to get it on the bounce.
Alternate angle.
He did get the ball. pic.twitter.com/vsHVlh5Ckh
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) July 9, 2022
On the field, that wouldn’t be much of a consolation prize. But in the seats, getting a ball in a bounce is just as good as catching it in the air. Then again, landing on stadium seats is a lot more painful than landing on grass.
We can only hope that this fan feels that the foul ball was worth the immense effort. He earned this foul ball the hard way.
