FOUL PLAY OVER FOUL BALL

Was it foul play for a fan to interfere with a foul ball that could have cost the Giants big time in a game at AT& T Park?

In the 6th inning of Wednesday’s Giants game vs. the Minnesota Twins, SF outfielder Cody Ross tried to snag a foul ball off the bat of Alexi Casilla. The ball was drifting towards the stands, but it was clearly playable and Cody Ross moved in to make the catch – until a Giants fan reached out and snagged the ball with his glove – leaving Cody Ross with empty leather on that play.

Luckily for the Giants, Casilla later grounded out. So no harm, no foul right? No way!

Home field advantage is lost when fans interfere with home team players and prevent them from making a catch. The Giants fan should have moved back to let Cody Ross catch the ball. That’s what smart fans would do. Conversely, if the roles were reversed and a Twins player was moving in to make the catch – a Giants fan should try to catch the ball if it’s coming into the stands – so as to give his player an extra swing of the bat.

Think it doesn’t make a difference? Just ask Steve Bartman, the clueless Cubs fan who cost his team a trip to the World Series in 2003. The Chicago meltdown against the Marlins can be seen here, along with the foul play in San Francisco:

Fan Interference

Don’t get me wrong. I bring my glove to every game and always hope to bring home a souvenir – but if it’s a choice between me snagging a foul ball versus my hometown player – I’m going to let him make the catch every time. It’s called taking one for the team.

About Mike

Mike Luery is an award-winning journalist with 25 years on TV and radio. Currently, he is the political reporter for KCRA-TV, the top-ranked station in Sacramento. This is Luery's second tour of duty with KCRA, where he was also a reporter from 1984 - 2000. In between, he was NBC's Capitol Bureau Chief in California and a reporter for CBS 13 in Sacramento. Luery lives in northern California with his wife Carol. Baseball Between Us is his first book.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.