Guy should have bought a lottery ticket instead. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Cleveland <a href="https://twitter.com/Indians">@Indians</a> season ticket holder Greg Niel caught FOUR foul balls today. Odds: 1:1,000,000,000,000...Or one IN A TRILLION.</p>— Numbers Never Lie (@ESPN_Numbers) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPN_Numbers/statuses/356572811055210496">July 15, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>The EXTREMELY lucky Indians fan who caught 4 foul balls is actually named Greg Van Niel. Well done, sir.</p>— Numbers Never Lie (@ESPN_Numbers) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPN_Numbers/statuses/356576531990052864">July 15, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Had my first real foul ball chance just the other day. Was at the Cardinals/Astros game in St. Louis sitting in the first row of the upper level of Busch Stadium. Altuve, first batter of the game, fouls one in my general direction. I mistakenly thought it was going to fall in front of me into the level below, but the ball just kept carrying and ended up hitting the seat to the left of me. At this point I hadn't even moved because the ball was hit pretty hard and I had misjudged it so badly. After it hit the seat next to me, it bounced once on the ground and then in front of me. Not wanting to dangle precariously over the upper deck just for a shot to grab it, I let it fall into the section below. Crazy that there's a decent shot it will be the last time I'm that close to catching a foul ball at a big league game.
After going to baseball games for 20+ years I didn't catch my first ball until I went to Fenway park and sat on the Green Monster for a clients event. We were in dead center which is the farthest part and during the tour of Fenway they said that people rarely hit it there. Needless to say I had some luck because Youkalis hit a monster home run that hit the corner of the box we were in and bounced right into my hand. Actually ordered the video of the game from the Red Sox since I was in it. Was a great experience.
I don't doubt that it was. That's such an incredible park. Just what they all should be like, IMO. Downtown, green, and beautiful! I always enjoy Boston when I go there, and Fenway is one of their jewels.
I went to a game with a friend once and he caught two within the span of about five minutes. I thought that was unlikely.
I don't think 1 in 1000 is too ridiculous an estimate for catching a foul ball during the course of a game.
The guy next sitting next to me broke his hand trying to catch a laser shot hit into the Crawford Boxes by Chase Utley a few years ago. We were in the front row, and Utley hit a frozen rope right at us to the point where we literally had about 3 seconds to react. He reached out to grab it while I decided it was best to just lean away and avoid it. Apparently, that was the right decision. When the ball hit his hand, all I heard was a loud snap, and he started screaming. The worst part is that after the ball hit him, it just dropped back down onto the field, so he didn't even get to keep the ball that broke his hand.
^^break a hand on a ball? really. I believe it, but the dude must have done something wrong. I've caught a 95 mph fastball thrown by a Rice pitcher in my hand at 60 feet. So have many major leaguers. Not so sure a line drive is going faster than the pitch. Has anyone here ever caught a home run. I haven't. It is my one thing I need to do, but I don't go to baseball games enough anymore
I'm not sure, but I think I remember that well-hit line drive type ball generally comes off the bat at around 100mph. Not 100% sure about that, but I do think those line drives to 1st or 3rd basemen tend to be faster than the pitch. Keep in mind also in your case, you were expecting the ball and presumably positioned properly, etc. A foul ball to the front row comes out of nowhere, and the odds of the person being ready for it are low.
