After two Phillies fans disagreed on who had the right to a home run ball, the Marlins stepped in to make sure everyone went home happy.
It has been a rough few days when it comes to sports fans acting normally when gifted a souvenir from an athlete. On Friday night at LoanDepot Park, that awkward moment got its sequel. After Phillies centerfielder Harrison Bader hit a solo shot to put his team up 5–1 over the Marlins, a mini fracas broke out in the stands.
One Phillies fan hustled to retrieve the ball, nabbed it after a brief moment on the ground, and went back to his seat to give the ball to the young fan he was sitting with, presumably his son. But another fan, whose seat was closer to the initial landing spot of the ball, took issue with the move, and went over to give the fan that got the ball the business. Eventually, the fan who got the ball appeared to say, “fine, okay, whatever sheesh” and gave the ball back.On the one hand, we cannot see the moment that the ball was initially possessed, so it is possible that there were some dastardly moves done behind the seats that would offer more clarity to the scene. On the other hand, once a kid has the home run ball, it’s usually best policy to let the kid keep the home run ball. Thankfully, the Marlins’ stadium staff went out of their way to make things right, hooking up the fan who was briefly without the home run ball with a new ball and a prize pack. Shoutout to the Marlins who hooked up the fan who had his Home Run ball taken away from him with a prize pack and baseballs!After the game, the Phillies made sure to give the fan an unforgettable moment as well, with Bader coming out to meet the family and offer up a signed bat.A great gesture by the Phillies, but really a huge shoutout to the Marlins staff for acting in the moment to make sure everyone left the stadium with a happy memory instead of an awkward one. Seeing one team make such a gesture for opposing fans is just a nice reminder that a love of baseball can transcend a particular fandom or rooting interest. All of that said, please, if you or a loved one happens to be in the stands when a home run ball is hit, or a player offers a fan their hat, or anything of the sort occurs and puts you in a position to possibly nab a souvenir, please just be normal about it.Tyler Lauletta is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News Team/team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered sports for nearly a decade at Business Insider, and helped design and launch the OffBall newsletter. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and remains an Eagles and Phillies sicko. When not watching or blogging about sports, Tyler can be found scratching his dog behind the ears.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Phillies Make Bold Aaron Nola Decision Despite Major Flaw in Recent StartsThe Philadelphia Phillies' rotation suffered a major blow when Zack Wheeler went down. They are still trying to find out how to get by without their ace.
Read more »
Former Phillies, Mets All-Star Disses Aaron Nola Amid Terrible SeasonThe Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the best teams in baseball this season, but one of their starting pitchers has struggled.
Read more »
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Tom McCarthy won’t be calling the Phillies-Marlins seriesIn addition to being the TV voice of the Phillies, McCarthy is entering his 12th season calling NFL games on CBS.
Read more »
How Phillies, Cubs Can Shake Up National League Playoff PictureThe Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs can change things...
Read more »
Phillies Make Key Kyle Schwarber Decision Ahead of Free Agency: InsiderThe Philadelphia Phillies will have to address Kyle Schwarber's free agency after the season ends, but they may have already made a decision.
Read more »
Marlins Connor Norby Breaks Silence After Latest Injury SetbackMiami Marlins infielder Connor Norby has struggled with some injuries throughout the season, and he's seemingly frustrated.
Read more »