The Complete Guide to Catching a Baseball in an MLB Game
In my twenty years of playing baseball, I’ve attended hundreds of games and caught exactly one foulball. I remember every detail perfectly: it’s the pinnacle of my career as a professional baseball player and the pinnacle of pure bliss that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to repeat. If you’re a fan of the game, chances are you’re dreaming of catching a falball too. But with tens of thousands of other fans, the chances of you going home empty-handed are much higher. The chances are small, but they are not zero. By applying a few strategies, you can increase the likelihood that you will return home with a memento used in the game, if you are willing to put in some work for it.
Stay mobile. If you are serious about catching the ball in violation of the rules, you will not spend much time in your place. To get into the best position for tracking a foul ball, you will need to buy a ticket in your row aisle so you can move up and down the adjacent stairs to cover more area in your section. . Also, your chances improve if you buy your ticket in a less crowded section (baseball stadiums usually let you see availability by section when purchasing individual tickets on their website; use this information to your advantage).
Play with trends. The direction in which batted balls come off the bat is not random. If you want to be in the best position to catch a foul ball, look at the scoreboard before each half to see which side of the plate each of the three upcoming batters are hitting. If most hitters are right-handed, park on the first side of the baseline. Stay where you are if your section is there; if not, head to the first baseline lobby. If most hitters are lefties, you need to be on the third side of the baseline. This is because when a batter hits a foul ball, he is more likely to be a little late on the field than early, hitting it in the opposite direction of the batter’s field in which he is standing.
Take a hat to both teams. It is often the players themselves who decide who goes home with the baseball. At the end of each inning, the last thrower (usually either one of the outfielders or first baseman) throws the ball into the stands before heading into the dugout. The best way to beat this system is to wear the hat of the team currently pitching. This works especially well if you’re wearing an away team hat because you’ll be one of the few people in the sample stadium wearing away team gear, and away guests may feel obligated to reward someone they consider a fan. . Of course, they never need to know what your true allegiance is.
Speak to players in their native language. Although baseball is considered America’s entertainment, it is a sport for the whole world. More than a quarter of MLB players were born outside the United States , including 10.3% in the Dominican Republic, 6.9% in Venezuela, 2.2% in Cuba, and almost 1% in Japan. Ball sales expert Zach Hampl writes that he has had some success asking players for balls in their native language: “If you ask players for balls in their native language, you are much more likely to get what you want. I got over 100 balls asking Latin American players in Spanish, more than a dozen balls asking Japanese players in Japanese, more than a few balls asking Korean players in Korean, and more than one ball asking Curtis Pride, who is hard of hearing. player in American Sign Language.
Get to the baseball stadium early to practice. Batting practice is your best way to get away with the ball because it’s the best ratio of balls hitting the stands and the fans you have to compete against to catch them. To get the most out of this, check the stadium’s exact opening times and be there when the fans start to let in. Then park in the stands to the right or left, depending on the attacker (left field for righties, right field). left-handed field) and find a spot away from the crowd of other hawks. In addition, you can go down the left or right field line to try and get the ball from any player or coach who has caught the ball. You should brush up on as many player and manager names as possible; the more people you know, the more likely you are to get their attention to throw the ball at you. It should also be noted that the less known the coach or player, the less you will have to compete with others for their attention.
Bring your glove. This sounds obvious, but it cannot be overstated; if you’re serious about catching a ball at a baseball game, you need to bring a glove. Don’t be afraid of people who laugh at you; during training, as well as during the game, the balls that reach the stands get hot. You don’t want to be in a position where the ball is flying straight your way, only to have it bounce off your palm (or face) and land on the knee of the person next to you. If you’re going to follow all of these other tips to get into the position of having baseballs flying at you, the best thing to do for efficiency and safety is to bring your glove into the stadium.