Have you ever got a ball at a game before?

leftygrove10 · #1 06-12-2011, 06:37 AM

I've gotten two foul balls at Major League games. The first one was at a Nationals game in DC. The second was at Wrigley Field last summer. THAT WAS SUCH A RUSH!!! WOW! I was going to post pictures of that ball, but I can't find it at the moment. I wrote the date and info about the game on the ball so I would know where it came from. My son and I have gotten several other balls at major league and minor league games. They weren't foul balls, but were given to us by players, stadium employees or got them during batting practice.

One of my favor tricks at a minor league game is this.... Sit somewhere behind the dugout, preferably on an aisle where you can get out of your seat easily. Figure out the first baseman's first name for the team that sits in that dugout. Many innings end with a grounder and throw out at first base. Thus, the first baseman ends up carrying the ball into the dugout. As you see the last grounder of the inning happening, get out of your seat if you can (or simply stand up in your seat if you can't get out). After the first baseman catches the ball for the put out at first base and runs to the dugout, stand up and yell his first name "Chris! Give me the call! Chris... Chris... Give me the ball!" Many times they will just toss it to you.... It has worked several times for me.....

Also... go to batting practice at Major League games... Take a young kid with you..... Put a baseball hat on them and give them a glove... Position him/her along the wall in right or left field.... Many times, the players or stadium workers will give them a ball.... I have even seen batting coaches or pitching coaches borrow their glove to play the outfield during batting practice.... Then when they hand the glove back, they make sure there is a ball inside.....

powderfinger · #2 06-12-2011, 07:06 AM

I've been going to games for 40 years, and while I'd been close a few time, the only time I've gotten a foul ball was at a Beloit Snappers game five years ago. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, who were affiliated with the Mariners were in town, and a young shortstop named Ozzie Navarro lined a foul down the third base line. It hit the bleachers next to me which took the steam off of it and I scrambled after it, picking up my only foul ball. Ozzie's in the Astros system now and I've never come close again.

It's on the shelf next to me and I can see it whenever I look up from my computer.

Danny Smith · #3 06-12-2011, 07:46 AM

Batting practice before the game has always been lucky for me. I've only scored one game used ball which was a foul ball that Livan Hernandez tossed to me after he scooped it up while sitting on the dugout stairs. Super cool.

Sixtofan · #4 06-12-2011, 07:56 AM

I caught one foul ball in my life. At the now defunct Milwaukee County Stadium. A liner off the bat of Daryl Hamilton. It deflected off something about 10 rows in front of us, I stuck up my left hand and much to my surprise caught the ball. It was quite a thrill

Jcfowler6 · #5 06-12-2011, 07:52 AM

Great stories guys. Nothing like going to the ballpark.

HBroll · #6 06-12-2011, 08:08 AM

Back in the late 1970's I went to a Cleveland-Detroit doubleheader (remember them - 2 games for the price of 1) at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

We were sitting in the upper deck behind home plate and I caught a foul ball off Indians catcher Gary Alexander in the 3rd inning of the first game and then caught a foul ball off Tigers Ron LeFlore in the 5th inning of the second game of the doubleheader. Been to a lot of games since but never caught another ball again.

barrysloate · #7 06-12-2011, 08:28 AM

Back in the late 80's my wife and I, my friend John, and his daughter, went to Shea for a Mets game. We were sitting pretty deep in left field, not a place where we would expect to get a ball. Turns out we got two, and they are the only ones I've ever even had a chance to catch.

The one my wife retrieved was hit by Mike Scioscia. We still have it. After we got the second one we could hear the crowd buzzing around us; anyone can get one at a game but two, especially so far from the batter's box, is rare.

ullmandds · #8 06-12-2011, 08:37 AM

I have caught numerous home run/foul balls during bp at camden yards and the metrodome/target field...BUT the only ball i ever caught during a game was during the 4th game of the 1978 world series. We had seats behind home plate just to the left side of the screen. Reggie smith hit a hard foul ball right at us...i ducked and te ball landed under the seat in front of me...and i grabbed it! I was nine and it is a moment i'll cherish forever and i will have this ball til the day i die!

sportscardpete · #9 06-12-2011, 11:12 AM

I was bat boy for the Yankees the week after David Cone pitched a perfect game. Before the game, he took time to speak with me and he eventually gave me a signed baseball that he was warming up with. It solidified me being a Yankee fan!

nebboy · #10 06-12-2011, 08:41 AM

Ive gotten about 20 balls at MLB/AAA/CWS games over the years - most of which were at Royals games. Some times late games I would be one of a very few in a section. In one game I got 3 foul ball in 3 swings by one batter. Always have had a lot of luck with catching foul/HR balls

novakjr · #11 06-12-2011, 08:49 AM

I've gotten one ball from a game before. It was back in '92 and I was 12 at old Municipal Stadium. I was at the game with my parents and a few kids from my little league team with their parents as well. We had crap seats. Well, that was always the plan at Municipal. Get crap seats, and usually by the 4th inning the ushers kinda just stopped working, so you could always move closer. Luckily this time the place was almost empty, and we ended up in the first row of the box seats on the first base line, right above the Indians dugout. They were playing the Tigers that day, luckily the Indians were winning, and the final out was an easy ground-out. The team quickly celebrated and started heading for the dugout. First baseman Paul Sorrento glanced up and tossed me the ball(which I ended up getting signed by Sandy Alomar after the game). I was the happiest kid ever at that moment. To make things even better, he then went into the dugout, and then came back out and tossed the managers line-up cards on top of the dugout also. Well, I ended up with those too.. Which works out even better, because in the home dugout, the visiting teams lineup card was always the actual copy, while the home team kept the carbon copy of their own. So I ended up with Sparky Anderson's autograph as well.

At a game later in the year, I also ended up with the lineup cards from a game against the Orioles. But Johnny Oates' autograph really doesn't quite measure up to Sparky.

scooter729 · #12 06-12-2011, 08:34 AM

I've had a partial season ticket package at Fenway for many years now, in the first row of bleachers behind the Red Sox bullpen. So there are many chances for balls coming in my direction, but only one have I snagged - from Aaron Hill of the Blue Jays a few years back.

Otherwise my luck has been "so close, yet so far away." I've brought people to games who have snagged home run balls twice, and a few times have had home run balls go off my fingers and end up in someone else's hands. My goal is to catch a homer off a Red Sox player's bat at some point!

bbcard1 · #13 06-12-2011, 08:40 AM

I think I have gotten three over the years, all at Salem Red Sox games. I remember having a shot at one in 1977 when George Foster was tearing it up. It was during BP and I was above the wall in the outfield...it's actually a cement barrier that was a deck above the wall. He absolutely crushed one on a line right below me. I leaned over the barrier and as the ball approached, I could hear it hissing from the velocity. I decided to pull my hands up and it crashed into the wall. I would have broken every bone in my hand. Discretion was the better part of valor.

chris6net · #14 06-12-2011, 08:41 AM

I was with my father in the 70,s at Yankee stadium during the Yankees/Royals heyday when they were playing each other and my dad snagged a foul ball hit by Al Cowens and my brother and myself were thrilled. In 1999 I was at a playoff game with my wife at Shea Stadium when I caught a foul ball hit by Edgardo Alfonzo.(This was also the game Todd Pratt hit a homerun in extra innings to beat the Diamondbacks in the series 3 games to 1)

Zach Wheat · #15 06-12-2011, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leftygrove10

One of my favor tricks at a minor league game is this.... Sit somewhere behind the dugout, preferably on an aisle where you can get out of your seat easily......... Many times they will just toss it to you.... It has worked several times for me.....

The same thing happened to my daughter but with a different ending. The Detroit Tigers were playing the Mariners a couple of years ago and there was a significant rain delay. Most of the fans left the ballpark. When the game resumed, Ichiro caught the ball for the last out in the inning. As he was running in to the dugout he spotted my 7 year old daughter all decked out in Tiger gear and he signaled for her to stand up since he wanted to toss the ball to her. Someone 3 rows back and 12 seats over anticipated the throw. As she stood up & caught the ball the man raced over and took the ball out of her mitt.

The entire section saw what had happened. The man was already carrying 3 other balls - presumably from batting practice - and the section proceeded to "boo" and throw trash at him throughout the next inning. It was unrelenting...and he finally left the section to rousing cheers.

MWheat

vintagecpa · #16 06-12-2011, 09:40 AM

A long foul ball off of Palmero's bat when he played for the Rangers. I was always hoping he could sneak into the HOF before all the steroid nonsense started.

ChiefBenderForever · #17 06-12-2011, 10:44 AM

My dad got great seats to see a duel of pitching greats in the dumpy Metrodome the Twins/Whitesox Johan Santana vrs El Duque Orlando Hernandez. Santana threw a wicked curve and a foul ball came screeching towards the us and hit a seat and was headed right at me and I slapped my hands together and caught it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was definately a thrill of a lifetime and so cool to think the last person to touch that ball was Johan and still to this day can't believe it.

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