A Houston Astros fan interfered with a play in Sunday night’s home game against the New York Yankees, and if that had been all that happened, the incident would have been quickly forgotten.
Instead, the fan proceeded to give a hilarious interview that quickly went viral and is already being called an “instant classic.”
Here’s what happened. In the sixth inning, Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez lofted a fly ball into foul territory in left field. As Yankees left-fielder Everson Pereira tried to make the catch, a fan reached over the railing and grabbed the ball barehanded.
The ball glanced off his hand onto the field. Umpires convened and ruled the play an out as the result of fan interference.
ESPN, broadcasting the game nationally, sent Buster Olney into the stands to find the fan. The ensuing interview seemed almost like a comedy routine. The fan draped his arm around Olney as if they were lifelong best friends and started talking.
“I’m out here with my son, this is our first-ever game,” the fan said. “We just moved here to Houston literally in January, and I just wanted to make the moment special for him. As a father, I feel like it’s my job to … give him the best moments.
“I apologize to the Astros organization, I didn’t know, ya’ll gotta understand, when it’s dropping down it looks like it’s coming directly to you. So I reached, and my body went for what I know. But we did have a wonderful moment.”
Then, the interview veered further into comedy, as another fan, oblivious to the ongoing interview, walked directly in front of the two men with a drink cup.
While that happened, the fan talked about the reaction of fans around him, and how the team escorted him away after the incident, questioned him, then sent him back to his seat.
“The reaction was, shock, disgust, happiness, sweat, a little bit of lust, baby. I was in there feeling kind of hurt for my fingers still, shaking a little bit,” the fan said. “The ball is way heavier with the gravity.
“Truthfully, Houston loves me and I love Houston. They cannot stop me from supporting the asteroids … Salute to the whole organization, great staff, they made sure that I was healthy and I was enjoying the game, they wasn’t even making it serious.”
The MLB world generally loved the fan’s humor and genuine reaction to the strange incident, although there were many who felt he — and his young son — should have been ejected.
[ESPN; Photo Credit: ESPN]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.