A big moment for Team USA in Tuesday night’s World Baseball Classic against Team Japan almost resulted in a catastrophe for one fan trying to snag a home run ball.
USA’s Kyle Schwarber sent a rocket to right field off Japan’s Yu Darvish to cut the lead to 3-2 in the top of the eighth. Fans in the second deck were ready to catch the home run ball.
One fan in the front row nearly went too far.
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Kyle Schwarber of Team USA reacts after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against Team Japan during the World Baseball Classic championship at loanDepot Park March 21, 2023, in Miami, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The fan, wearing a dark shirt and a beige hat, leaped to try and catch the ball. And he nearly flew over the railing.
Luckily, he caught a hold of the front rail while fans around him cheered Schwarber’s homer.
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Because of the importance of the home run in the WBC final, fans were clearly willing to take a risk to get the ball.
And we’ve seen this before. New York Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge hit his American League-record 62nd home run at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, last season. While one fan in the front row in left field snagged the ball, another fan rolled over the front railing in hopes the ball would ricochet off fans and land below.
That fan was eventually ejected from the stadium.
Shohei Ohtani (16) of Team Japan celebrates after defeating Team USA during the World Baseball Classic championship at loanDepot park March 21, 2023, in Miami, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The WBC final had a fantastic finish. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, teammates with the Los Angeles Angels and widely regarded as the top two baseball players in the world, squared off in the top of the ninth inning with two outs and Team USA down one.
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Kyle Schwarber of Team USA rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against Team Japan during the World Baseball Classic championship at loanDepot park March 21, 2023, in Miami, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
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Trout struck out on a 3-2 slider from Ohtani, who secured the win for Japan and won WBC MVP. It was the first time the two faced each other in a game.
