Foul Balls and Fair

I've said it before, but I want to do a series here about the foul balls and home runs that I've caught over the years. My first foul ball came in 1982, and my most recent was just this year. Home run balls are always special, too, especially when you get three in one game. Stay tuned.

Coming Soon: Foul Balls and Fair

My family recently moved. As we packed, I came across my box of baseballs. I paused to go through them. I have a collection of balls over the years consisting of foul balls, home run balls, batting practice balls and other balls thrown up into the stands. The box is an empty motor oil case, full the top. Each ball had a piece of tape on it listing when and where (if I knew that info) I retrieved it.

I went through each one. I have fielded ten foul balls in four different ballparks and eight home runs in two ballparks. I put each one into a separate sandwich bag, as a few pieces of tape came loose. I was able to piece them back together based on the league president signature on each ball and when that president served crossed with the date on the piece of tape.

I'll be writing soon about each foul ball and home run ball I retrieved, plus other notable ones.

I Got A Foul Ball, Then One Got Me

I got a foul ball in Friday night's Giants/Reds game at AT&T Park. A few minutes later, just one pitch after hanging up my cell phone conversation telling Mrs. Scott all about it, another scorching line drive came to the row just in front of me, and after leaning in over the ladies' heads in front of me (they duck and cover their heads, always, and are thankful for the chivalrous gentlemen around them who bring gloves) to glove it, a fan two rows in front deflected it slightly just as I was going to catch it, so I took it square off the bicep and another fan several rows up snagged it.

The ball I got landed about five seats in the next section across the aisle, about three rows back. I always play for a crazy bounce or series of bounces and flying bodies. Having aisle seats makes it easy to cover about ten rows because the aisle steps are clear, just zip up or down. This ball bounced off about four people, trickled down a row, then some huge guy from my section jetted across the aisle and belly flopped over a woman's lap, she just sitting there on the opposite aisle seat. It somehow got through him and out into the aisle. A ball in the aisle is my cue. Another guy piled on the squirting ball, but butter fingered it down a row into my waiting hands.

This was my tenth foul ball in my life. Double digits now. I've updated my baseball resume to reflect this fortune.

I was at the game with Mike, and he was getting food at the time. Even though the season tickets are mine, and I sit on the aisle seat, Mike made up a rule some years ago that if I'm late to the game, he gets the aisle seat. He needled me for this. So upon his return to his seat, he found the ball in his cup holder. I got the ball even though I wasn't actually in the aisle seat. Back atchya.

This wasn't the only crazy thing that happened this night, so in another post, I'll describe the other wild things that took place. It was really just one of those nights.

My First Foul Ball

My first foul ball came in 1982 at Candlestick Park. It was Giants pitcher Bill Laskey's first major league start, against the Montreal Expos. I was there with Mike. A foul ball came our way off the bat of an Expo and it landed in the stands right in front of us. We both jumped in to the scrum of a few fans, and each caught hold of part of the ball. We started a "fight" between us, punching each other to get the other to let go of the ball. I won the struggle, although I'm not sure that is a great accomplishment to get the ball. My friend is out of a ball. Anyway, it is good to remember getting even a chance, and with Bill Laskey's first start, it was something to remember. It turned out even better when Laskey pitched a complete game shutout. See the box score here.