Have you ever got a ball at a game before?

[bh3443]

Michael! I loved those stories! Glad to know that you were a fellow Fenway rat like me! As for the reefer, it was generally coming from my seat or my friends! As you know, the ushers rarely said anything in the 70's.
Greatest Usher ever was my pal Morris, an usher from the 30's thru 70's. We'd smuggle beer in and pour it into his Incredible Hulk plastic cup!
We loved to taught all the players back then! I once asked Bill Campbell if he had any extra "greenies' (speed called Deximil!) and he laughed! George Scott was always checking out the females, too.
I loved watching Nolan Ryan give up 8 runs in 2/3 of an inning when with the Angels. He was taken out as we banged on the wall in the bleachers screaming "ATTICA"....lol.
We were a bit fresh back then but only one friend got thrown out. George Scott was like 0 for 50 and he finally reached base on balls. My pal rico jumped on the field ran to first and congratulated the Boomer! He was promptly ejected!
I grew up in Marlboro and was always in waltham back then! Great area and lots of memories.
Thanks for sharing your stories and have a spectacular day!
Bill Hedin

Originally Posted by sox1903wschamp

Nice stories Bill! Are you sure that was the smell of reefer or maybe the aroma wafting from the restrooms . I was a Fenway rat my whole childhood catching just about every Saturday day game with the nieghborhood kids from North Waltham from 70-74. Never caught a ball when I was with the gang roaming the park but I do have 2 ball catching stories to share.

First was July 4th, 1972 at Fenway. Just me and Dad. I was 12. Close game against the Twins and we were sitiing in prime foul ball territory just past the Sox dugout maybe 10 rows up down the RF line. Up steps the immortal Juan Beniquez who rips a liner towards us but just behind us. Guy flubs it and caroms right to Dad who basket catches it and hands it to his 12 year old son. To this day the only ball me or Dad have ever captured. Next pitch Juan crushes a homer over the 420 sign and the Sox win 2-0 behind the also immortal Lynn McGlothlin's 3 hitter. Lynn was my favorite pitcher that year as he really did have a great year but then faded. To this day me and Dad kid everyone that he snared a liner one handed that day but it was cool none the less .

Second was at Royal's Stadium in Kansas City in the late 70's. Our Family had just moved from Boston to Kansas City and the Red Sox were in town. I was walking into the stadium bleachers in Left field with my Brother who is 6 years younger. Were still in the parking lot but almost to the gate before the game when all of a sudden a ball comes bounding to us. My nimble little brother was more alert and fields the ball. We thought it was someone playing catch and lost the ball but as we make our way into the Stadium we notice some players are looking up in the stands and pointing at us. Turns out that during batting practice Jim Rice had creamed one over the stands and it bounded out of the stadium to us. If anyone has ever been to Royal/Kaufmann stadium in KC you will know that it is an enormous poke to clear the stands in LF. Amost unfathomable. My Brother still has the ball to this day and it has to be just about the longest homer ever in KC. I keep telling him to get Rice's autograph on it but he is not the sports guy that I am

[scmavl]

The only one I've gotten was when I threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a minor league game this year. The catcher brought it up to me as I was leaving the field.

I could've had one at the game yesterday, but I wasn't quick enough.

[mybuddyinc]

Mid-late 1990's at a Winston-Salem game (back when they were the Warthogs !!!). Standing at the rail of the concourse, just behind the seats. A high looping foul comes right at me, I mean I didn't have to move an inch. There was no one within ten feet of me, a guaranteed catch. I even caught sight of a little kid just to the right of me with his father. I was already to catch the ball and give it to the little kid, big time "hero" move. Well, needless to say, the ball went right through my hands and bounced down into the stands .............. sums up my Baseball skills and foul ball success in one story !!!!




My father, however, "caught" a foul ball at a Reading Phils game, in an odd way. He was a Trenton Thunder season ticket holder, but would go out to Reading a few times a year. A batter hits a long foul ball out of the park. Just like any good minor league club, the press box plays the "shattering glass" sound that clues the pa guy to say: "That foul ball was brought to you by Jack's Auto Glass, if it broke your window, Jack will replace it for free." Well, after the game, my father goes to his car, and the back window is completely shattered, with the foul ball sitting in the back seat !!! He got the free voucher, but probably didn't use it, being from out of town.


Great thread, great stories

[RichMcGillicuddy]

Went to Home Run Derby day at Wrigley for the 1990 All-Star game. During batting practice Frank Viola tossed a ball up into the Right Field bleachers that I got.

Also got one in 1977 at a White Sox game. Batting practice, kicked over to me by Jack Kucek. Got it signed by the late Francisco Barrios.

[Jcfowler6]

Originally Posted by almostdone

I've never personally caught a ball but have a great story of a guy I know in my town.
A number of years ago he went to a small minor leauge park to see some kid that had a bunch of hype surrounding him. He had never been to the city before and had trouble finding the park. When he finally did he parked and saw the game had already begun. As he was walking through the parking lot he heard the ping of a metal bat and saw a ball flying over the fence into the parking lot he was walking in. He grabbed the ball, bought a ticket and found his seat.
He inquired who hit the home run and found out it was the kid he was comming to see play!
After the game he found the young player and explained that he had his home run ball. The player autographed it for him with his name, the date, city and the words "1st professional home run".
The palyer was Alex Rodriguez!

Now that is really cool!

[Gary Dunaier]

I caught the home run Damion Easley hit in the bottom of the 10th inning when the Mets were one strike away from losing to Colorado 4/24/07 at Shea Stadium. Perhaps the most unusual thing about this home run is that it was commemorated on a Topps card later that year.

[Buythatcard]

I must have attended well over 100 major league games in my lifetime but never caught a ball. Had a few almost take my scalp off and one brushed my fingertips. But the closest catch was back in 1961 at Yankee Stadium. I was sitting in the first row behind 3rd base with my friend, while my father sat about 10 rows back. My Dad decided to go to the bathroom and you guessed it, a ball landed in his seat. Some other lucky fan got the ball. I don't know who hit it but the 61 Yankees had some great ones playing.

[D. Bergin]

1981, I was 10 years old.

Glens Falls White Sox vs. Bristol Red Sox at Muzzy Field in Bristol.

The White Sox had this kid named Ron Kittle, who was absolutely tearing up the league that year. I was there with my Cub Scout Pack and he hit a deep home run into an area where there was no seating. I raced about 5 of my friends towards the ball and ended up the winner.

After the game, my mom, who has never had a moment of shyness in her life............busted into the White Sox clubhouse and got Kittle to sign the ball for me.

Wish I still had the ball, but I loved baseball back then and would spend hours smacking balls around in my big back yard. It eventually fell victim to "last ball in the house" syndrome, and was probably lost in the woods behind my house, at one time or another.

[glenv]

A couple of years ago, the AZ Diamondbacks had a mid-week day game. It was late in the season and they already had been eliminated from the playoffs, so the crowd was sparse. I had moved into better seats along the right field line when Drew hits one around the foul poll that bounced back towards me. Nobody was close - I picked the ball up off the ground before the janitor could sweep it up. Then the usher came down and asked me to leave the seats. Figured I was getting kicked out for being in the wrong seats, but they sent me to a PR person to get my address. Turned out every HR the DBacks hit, they get the ball, have it signed by the player that hit it, and mail it back to the fan that caught it. Cool program - wish more teams would do positive stuff like that!

[alanu]

Never at at a major league or minor league game, but when I was little (in the late 60's, early 70's), at American Legion games they used to give us a dime for chasing down foul balls and returning them.

[Bilko G]

Originally Posted by Gary Dunaier

I caught the home run Damion Easley hit in the bottom of the 10th inning when the Mets were one strike away from losing to Colorado 4/24/07 at Shea Stadium. Perhaps the most unusual thing about this home run is that it was commemorated on a Topps card later that year.

that is way to cool

[Jantz]

I came close to getting one last year during an Cleveland Indians game. About two minutes before the foul, my best friend told his daughter & her friend to pay attention because we were sitting in a section that could see a few foul balls. A few minutes later Asdrubal Cabrera fouled a ball right to us. I could tell I had no chance of getting the ball, so I yelled to my best friend to grab it & he did.

Within minutes, a stadium staff member came down and got some information from my friend. He received a 1-day contract from the Cleveland Indians organization for catching the ball.

Next thing we know, my friend's phone starts ringing, it was his father wanting to know why he & I were on his TV screen. He was watching the game too.

Ironically, the reason we went to the game was because my friend asked his daughter what she wanted for her birthday. She said that she wanted to go to a game. The foul ball, which my friend gave to his daughter, was just an extra bonus gift I guess.

On a side note, has anyone else ever noticed that when a foul ball is coming towards you it looks like it is traveling in slow motion?

Jantz

[MacDice]

Never got anything at a MLB game but I grew up close to Bellingham, WA and we started going to Bellingham Mariners games in 1988 (the year after Griffey played there). We would get to the game as soon as the gates open and my dad would let me go get autographs while he stayed outside the park to collect BP balls. It was a small ballpark, with no stands in the outfield or netting. We would go to around 6 games a year and I don't think that we ever came away with less than 10 balls per game. It was those balls that we would use when my dad would throw me batting practice all through high school.

[tcdyess]

Caught my one and only opening year of the new Yankee stadium. Sitting in the Legand seats off 3rd base. Matsui lined one that shot off the ground and jumped about 5 rows right into my left hand while I didn't even spill the beer in my right. I was on TV and immediately got texts and calls from home. Pretty funny stuff. The best part for me is that the ball has the inaugural season logo on it. It will be a fun piece of my collection going forward....

[thadd]

Never got one myself, I think the closest I ever came was a foul ball about 2 sections over, not good odds there.

On another note, the card shop in my area does framing and matting which is really his bread and butter these days. He came up with a really cool way to frame a foul ball. He puts a card of the pitcher and one of the batter, plus the ticket from the game as well. Then mounts the ball in a holder which is affixed to the glass. It's a pretty neat way to display a foul ball in your home or office if you ever got one. He cuts the matting with the design of the foul pole in it too. The whole thing is really cool I think, I'd never seen one displayed in an ensemble that was such a good conversation piece.

He actually had a deal with Angels Stadium to put them in their main souvenir shops but MLB big wigs freaked out when they were there because he happened to used Upper Deck cards in the display one and this was after the whole licensing thing a couple years ago. They pulled it out of the shop and I guess he hasn't been able to get them back in there again. He can always use Topps cards you know.

Hopefully some day I'll have a reason to buy one from him.

[Kzoo]

I caught/attained two balls at different spring training games in Florida several years back.......one bounced off a fat guy's belly who was sitting across the aisle from me in Plant City when the Reds used to play there.

I also caught two BP balls on Waveland Ave. outside Wrigley on different occasions.....the first one I had to catch bare handed on the fly because I didn't have my glove and other 'ball hawks' were closing in fast.....and yes, the little grey speck that was coming towards me over the bleachers was in 'slooooow motion'......and yes, my palms were beat red for awhile afterwards, but the ball, the story and a couple beers made for a great day.

Matt

[Oldtix]

I got my only one in St. Louis on June 29, 1967...an Orlando Cepeda foul ball, with a big assist going to my Dad's timely block on two guys coming headlong after me to snag the thing. Cepeda signed it for me back in the 1980s.

Also have a Ted Williams foul ball caught by my uncle in Kansas City on July 24, 1956.

The one that got away would have likely killed me...a screaming foul shot from Bo Jackson at Yankee Stadium. It was a bullet, and I reflexively stuck out my left hand too late. It slammed into a seat a few rows back with a crack that made me realize how lucky I was to miss it.

[Tomman1961]

Sort of. July 1999 at Shea . Mets vs. Red Sox. My family of 4 was sitting on the Red Sox dugout. Ted Williams Day. Before the 10th inning was starting, I was staring down at my scorecard. Then my wife says to me:"Here". She hands me a 1999 Fenway All Star Game Ball. After infield, before the inning started, the Sox third base coach noted my 2 sleeping children. He flipped the infield practice ball to my wife and said something like-great kids,nice family.

[Collectorsince62]

My son caught his first and only foul ball during game 7 of the 2004 NLCS at Busch stadium. I had always told him that if a ball came near us but he couldn't reach it, to go to the ground, because that's where the ball usually ends up. Following my advice, a ball comes into our row, but a few seats over. Before I realized what had happened, he emerges from the ground with the ball clutched tightly in his hands.

Years earlier, my two sons were at the railing during BP asking players for balls with no success. Jose Lind from the Pirates is watching them, but not complying. When BP ends, the boys are walking sadly back to our seats when Lind tosses one right in front of them. He laughed and game me a thumbs up, they immediately nominated him as their favorite Pirate.

I got my first foul ball this year at a Cardinals game off the bat of Brewer catcher Jonathan Lucroy. While it was in the air, I told myself - don't drop it, don't drop it . . . I dropped it. But I managed to grab it quickly and avoid an error.

[Mark]

Back when I was a very little kid at Forbes Field. Jerry May hit it into the stands between first and right field. I vividly remember getting the autos, too.

[mrmopar]

A few balls during BP at the Kingdome. Nothing during a game.

My favorite memory was a buddy of mine getting a fairly clean ball from someone in BP. Dave Winfield was sitting along the 1st base line and nobody was around him at all, yet my friend had no interest in trying for the autograph.

I took the ball over, asked and Winfield signed it. Of course, then I had to trade to get the ball. Still have it today.

[BearBailey]

In just under 200 Major League Games, I have gotten 1. A ground rule double at 3 River's. We were first row center field and the Giants were playing, we came to see Bonds and probably to boo Deion Sanders as he signed that huge contract that week(I think the Cowboys?). Kurt Manwaring hit a ground rule double that fell back down and Jacob Brumfield threw the ball right up, I still have it and cherish it.
As far as Minor Leagues if any of you remember the Supposed to be Great Brien Taylor, first Million dollar signor, who had flopped due to injury, during his very brief comeback attmept he was pitching and Wes Denning of the Delmarva Shorebirds fouled a ball up to me it drilled me in my shin and popped up into my hands.
Amazingly enough my sons, who are 8 and 5, have gotten several at minor league games, none at the majors yet. Including getting 5 in 1 game 3 fouls, and 2 that were caught to end innings that players threw up to him. There were 5 kids total with us that night and my older son gave 1 to everyone so each kid got a ball. A very proud moment.

[forazzurri2axz]

went to see our Braves who had already clinched the division when we were in SF...I believe it was Glavine who hit a line drive foul between third and home, smacks into the concrete steps,flies into the air with the backspin a few rows, and as it was about to land in the glove of the woman behind me, I stuck up my left hand....and nailed it...would have stung like hell if I dropped it I'm sure but didn't feel a thing!!! gave it to my 8 yr old son--

[Writehooks]

During batting practice at the '79 All-Star Game at the Seattle Kingdome, I caught a ball hit into the stands by Steve Garvey. It was an official American League ball, so a few days later I mailed it to my favorite player — Catfish Hunter — to his home in Hertford, N.C., requesting an autograph. Along with the note, I enclosed a US money order for $10 to cover the return postage to Canada. Within in a couple of weeks, I not only received my autographed baseball, but a couple of nicely personalized signed photos — and the uncashed MO, along with a handwritten note from Hunter explaining that he was happy to have fans in Canada. Classy guy...

[xdrx]

The one that got away...

I was at Dodger Stadium for the first time in 1976 as an 8-yr old east coast Dodgers fan. At the game way early for BP. As players started off the field before the game kids starting bunching up behind the Dodger's dugout for autographs. I high-tailed it down there, and was maybe back about four rows of bodies. Not much chance.

A few players were handing out balls from BP or whatever, which I'm politely shouting for them to toss my way to no avail. Then I see a ball being passed around and signed! It maybe had 10 sigs total - Cey and Lopes for sure, and Lee Lacy. He was pretty much the last guy on the field, holding the autographed ball. I held my glove hand up, hoping for a toss. I swear we made eye contact. He flipped the ball in my direction. I had my glove out, ready for an easy catch, until the kid in front of me rose up to what seemed liked Kareem Abdul Jabaarian heights and snatched the ball out of the air with his bare hand.

Never been that close to one since, though I did catch a tennis ball at a John McEnroe match in the early 80s. Much to my dismay you have to give those back!

[sycks22]

I've got 1 foul ball and 1 home run ball. I was up in Duluth, MN about 15 yrs ago at a Duluth Superior Dukes game (league where the St. Paul Saints play) and got a foul ball down the right field line. I was so jacked to get it I slipped when running for it. I actually got a grand slam ball at a Durham Bulls game about a month ago when they were playing the Charlotte Knights and Dallas Mcphearson hit one right at us and my wife was all passive going for it so I had to grab it quick. It's fun getting a ball of a player that has MLB experience.

[SteveMitchell]

Yes, that's right: two baseballs in a single game.

Not by me but by my two nephews who attended a Seattle Kingdome game in 1989. They were visiting from Maine for the primary purpose of attending our son and daughter's high school graduation. Their folks took them to see rookie sensation Ken Griffey, Jr. and the '89 edition of the M's (a not-so-hot combine) and in the course of the game retrieved not one but two baseballs! Don't know if they have caught one at Fenway (or even been to Fenway).

As for me, just one baseball retrieved and it probably doesn't count: Don Baylor, then of the California Angels, swatted one down the left field line to me ... in batting practice.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by SteveMitchell

Yes, that's right: two baseballs in a single game.

Not by me but by my two nephews who attended a Seattle Kingdome game in 1989. They were visiting from Maine for the primary purpose of attending our son and daughter's high school graduation. Their folks took them to see rookie sensation Ken Griffey, Jr. and the '89 edition of the M's (a not-so-hot combine) and in the course of the game retrieved not one but two baseballs! Don't know if they have caught one at Fenway (or even been to Fenway).

As for me, just one baseball retrieved and it probably doesn't count: Don Baylor, then of the California Angels, swatted one down the left field line to me ... in batting practice.

I'm not the judge, but I think that BP counts. I got my first one during a pepper game along the right field foul line.

[geor952]

My first game was in 1982, I was 6 ears old, at Riverfront Stadium in Cincy. The Cards were visiting in their baby blue uniforms and Tommy Herr was up. He fouled one up into the Green seats, behind the plate. My Grandfather, Dad, and I (all three Georges) were sitting together with me in the middle. Pap reached up with two hands caught the ball. I still remember him standing up with the ball above his head while the entire section cheered for him. He immediately gave me the ball and it is still my prized piece in my collection. Thanks for reading...

[Runscott]

I caught a bp home run back around 1990 at a Ranger's game - I had to reach over the fence and catch it blind.

Also caught a foul ball hit by Geno Petralli at a Ranger's game back around '91 - it went straight back through a stairwell. I saw it headed toward a wall, so I slid feet first with my hands ready to catch it on the rebound. Some little turd holding an ice cream cone bent over in my 'path' just as it was reaching me, so I had no choice but to take him out. The kid's ice cream went flying and I successfully made the catch. I felt bad and was going to give him the ball, but he started cursing me (a 10-yr old) and several adults gave me 'the evil eye'. Well, I walked away with the ball and handed it to my girlfriend. Some jackass usher came over and took it from her. Perhaps I'm a dick - I don't know.

Years later (around 2000?), I was in the outfield at Fulton County stadium during batting practice. I couldn't catch anything and finally gave up and went back to my seat. While I was whining, the very last batter took his very last swing and nearly hit me with the ball. It was basically my ball, but some old man tried to jump into the fray, so I gave him the same treatment I gave that 10-yr old back in '91. This time I kept the ball.

So, yes - I have two balls.

[packs]

Back in, I think it was 1999, I'm hazy on the year, the Yankees were doing this thing where everyone on the team threw a signed baseball into the stands at every home game during the month of September. I happened to catch one tossed by Chris Chambliss. When I looked at the baseball more closely, I realized it was a special September to Remember offical American League baseball. I have NEVER seen another one.

Has anyone ever seen one? I still have it except now it is also signed by Willie Randolph and Whitey Ford.