Tim Anderson is our resident expert on catching home run balls. From time to time, he’ll provide an analysis of his own fielding performance in the stands, as well as critiquing the souvenir-shagging (“ball hawking”) abilities of others.
Ball hawking during the 2012 Baltimore Orioles season was bound to be a challenge for me. With the pressure increased as a result of a miraculous 2011 campaign, I was bound for a slump. To add even more pressure, my 2012 season was sponsored by Dick’s Last Resort, a restaurant chain with a location in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Receiving a monetary reward for every home run caught, it was almost a sure thing I was going to jinx myself. Unbeknownst to me and baseball fans around the world, Camden Yards would become the home field for one of the best teams in baseball, drawing even bigger crowds. However, even with the deleterious effect on myball hawking, the crowds and the success of the Baltimore Orioles made 2012 the greatest baseball season of my life.
The following clips are, in chronological order, the home runs that I caught, should have caught, or came close to catching:
The camera grabbed a close up of me after the Hardy catch.
It only took me four games and a half inning to see my first test of 2012. Behind 0-1 in Wei-Yin Chen’s MLB debut as a result of a Derek Jeter home run, J.J. Hardy sent a shot deep to the seats in left-center field. With the season young and the Yankees in town, Camden Yards had a decent crowd, forcing me to sit roughly twenty rows from the field. Ironically, this worked to my advantage as Hardy’s bomb came directly towards me. In the video, you can see me jump into the aisle – wearing a white jacket and khakis –, track the ball, move past my friend who was sitting just to the left of me, lean over the seat in front of me, and make the grab. The catch was my 13th home run, second Hardy home run, and my first in a game against the Yankees. It was Hardy’s second home run of 2012 and the 113th of his career. The catch also marked my 5th consecutive month (months that included an Orioles game) catching a home run.
I could do nothing but watch this Chris Davis home run fall short.
Later the same month I was tested again. This test was a little harder, though. Opposite field home runs are almost never fun. They are unexpected and difficult to track with the ball often tailing off. When Chris Davis sent a ball flying towards the left field seats on April 25th, it was neither unexpected nor difficult to track. Davis’ opposite field power is well-known, and I have caught one of his oppo shots myself. I tracked this ball perfectly, moving a section to my right and hurdling over a row of seats stealthily.
Unfortunately, I could only watch as the ball fell a few rows short, ricocheting from the concrete to the field. With the monkey already off my back with the early season Hardy home run, I just stood there for a moment and laughed. I knew I tracked the ball well, and there was just nothing I could do.
Not very often do I find myself with an opportunity to catch a late-game home run; it seems all my catches come early in games. But with the firepower of the Rangers in town, anything is possible. It also, apparently, is still possible for me to embarrassingly botch a catch as badly as I did this night.
The shot from Young was hit pretty routinely for me, soaring to my left, but at the perfect distance. While I was camped under it, the ball began to sail over my head. I gave my best possible leap, but the ball tipped off my glove, bounced off a seat, and came back to my row where there was no one else around. Running towards the ball, something happened. I’m not sure if the ball had backspin, or if I just had a physical hiccup; but I kicked it. I kicked a home run ball rolling around on the ground for me to pick up. The kick caused the ball to go into the aisle and roll to some unsuspecting fans.
After picking the Hamilton home run off the ground, I raised the ball in celebration (white jacket).
The Rangers were still in town, giving me plenty of opportunity to forget about my horrible effort the night before.
It ended up being easier than I thought. To begin, the night Josh Hamilton had on May 8th was amazing. Hitting four home runs in a single Major League baseball game is astounding by any measure. Thinking that he missed hitting five by mere feet is mind-blowing. I am forever fortunate and grateful to be a small part of baseball history.
Josh Hamilton hit his second home run that night to the opposite field. This one was somewhat unexpected, and it definitely was tailing off. Tracking it well down to the first row, the ball began to bend to the right as it approached the seats. Blocked by a railing, the only effort I could make was a lazy reach. Thankfully, the ball landed on the ground and rolled directly to me. I raised the ball in celebration while trying to unzip my jacket to show my Dick’s shirt.
Long story short – a long story that probably will be told in a later post – the ball is no longer in my possession. I sold it before Hamilton even hit his 3rd home run that night. I do not regret that, because it gave me yet another story to tell. The ball was my second of the season and 14th of my career, marking the 6th consecutive month that I had caught a homer. It was Hamilton’s 12th home run of the season and 130th for his career. It was also his third home run in three consecutive at bats, dating back to the night prior.
This Hardy ball was simply a case of misjudgment. The ball sailed well over my head, landing in the row I was originally.
Amidst the excitement created by Hamilton, I forgot about the fact that I nearly caught a second that night. Back in my seat after the negotiation and ultimate transaction of the Hamilton ball, Hardy sent a rocket towards me. Though I thought I made a good judge of the ball, I charged in and to my left, only to have the ball sail over my head, landing in the row that I was originally seated in. I do believe that I judged the ball well initially, since my friend judged it the same. It just sailed. Oh well!
Doubleheaders are magical, especially during the week. The day game of weekday doubleheaders always creates an empty stadium. This bomb by Hardy was not remotely close to my seat, but the lack of fans allowed me to cover a lot of ground. With the ball in the air, I sprinted to my right. The ball landed near the top of the section and bounced towards me. I outstretched my glove arm as far as I could, but I was still a few feet away. That Hardy home run was the second of back-to-back-to-back home runs hit by the Orioles to lead off the game.
There’s the ball in the lady’s right hand. There’s me in the blue shorts walking away without a ball.
With permission from my loving mother, I was at the Orioles game this Mother’s Day. Because of the vast crowd, I spent my time on the right field flag court. The only action I got that day was a bomb hit by Nick Johnson that bounced off the stairway just left of the flag court. The ball made its way to the top of the section where I was. However, a middle-aged women grabbed the ball before I could, and she was pretty excited about it. In the video, you can see me and my blue shorts walking back up the steps.
This is an odd one.
The weather for the Baltimore area was not promising.
I had attended every home Orioles game up until this point, including seven games in a row (with one rainout and one doubleheader).
Exhausted, not prepared to be drenched, and believing I had accurately tracked the weather – it was going to pour all night – I reluctantly decided to sit this one out. Suffering from withdrawals, I reluctantly watched the game, cheering for my O’s, but also cheering for no home runs to left field.
J.J. Hardy, however, sent one to left in the fifth inning, breaking a 3-3 tie. The ball was hit on a line towards the aisle to the left of my usual seat, meaning I would have had to go across the whole row to make a grab. The ball bounced in the aisle right to a woman who was sitting on the end.
Maybe I would have had it, maybe not…who knows?
I had a lot of competition for this Adam Jones ball, but I came up victorious and I was pumped.
It did not take long for me to have another opportunity. The following night, with the rain long gone, I was back in my routine at Camden Yards to finish the long home stand.
With the game scoreless in the bottom of the second, Adam Jones sent a rocket to deep left field off CC Sabathia. I drifted down about seven rows, jumped, and robbed a few fellow fans as I reeled in my third home run of the season.
The most impressive part of this actually did not happen during the game. Here’s my tweet from earlier that day:
That’s right, I Babe Ruth’d my third home run of the season at 2:39 that afternoon, nearly five hours before the start of the game. Why did I make that prediction? Well, the match-up was lefty v. lefty (Chen v. Sabathia), and it was pretty warm outside. Lucky? Yes. Some skill? Of course.
The home run was Jones’ 11th of the season and 86th of his career. The homer was my third of the season and 15th of my career.
This was absolutely a bomb off the bat of Angels’ slugger Mark Trumbo that landed nowhere close to me. The ball landed in the center field sod farm, just to the right of the bullpens, and rolled to the back, up against the batters eye. Determined to go home with a June home run ball after missing most of the month’s games, I stalked the ball and stood directly above it in the standing room area. After trying to get the attention of grounds crew members, one finally acknowledged me, motioning that he would get it for me in a second. However, he eventually forgot about the ball and I. A little later, the ball was retrieved by a different grounds crew member who came from the right field side. As he entered the sod farm, a fan sitting on that side asked if they could have the ball, causing me to be shut-down when I asked.
June 29th – Asdrubal Cabrera
It’s a beauty from Asdrubal!
A left field supervisor on a power trip had me switching fields for this game. Avoiding any trouble, I spent the game standing on the right field flag court. Half-jokingly, I told my friend accompanying me that I would catch three home runs that game.
Asdrubal Cabrera got me a third of the way there in the third inning, crushing a Jake Arrieta pitch. Knowing the ball was going over my head onto Eutaw Street, I focused my attention on making it outside the gates that separate the Flag Court and the famous street.
Luckily for me, the ball bounced off Eutaw Street, landed on an overhang of the Warehouse, and fell to the ground in an outdoor seating area of the new Dempsey’s restaurant. Reacting swiftly, I dove on the ball, covering it with my bare hand, earning my 4th home run of the season and 16th of my career. I carried my home run catching streak to eight consecutive months. My friend handed me a ball from the section just to the right of the foul pole and I launched it onto the field. The home run was Cabrera’s 11thof the season and 54th of his career.
Another beauty from Wieters!
On September 14, 2011, I caught two home runs in one game. The first one was off the bat of Matt Wieters, his 20th of the season. Now, on June 29, 2012, Wieters’ three run home run was the second of my two in the game. Wieters put the Orioles ahead in the bottom of the seventh inning with a monster shot to Eutaw Street. Reacting the same as I did for Cabrera’s homer, I was able to get a great jump on it. The ball one-hopped off Eutaw Street and onto the overhang on the Warehouse. I was able to use my height to grab the ball as it fell.
It was the 5th home run of my season, 17th of my career. It was Wieters’ 11th of the season and 53rd of his career.
That night marked only the second time in Camden Yards history that two balls landed on Eutaw Street in the same game.
This Chris Carter home run took an unsuspecting bounce off my stomach. Here I am trying to pick it up off the ground.
Missing most of the games in July because of vacation, there were few chances for me to extend my home run streak to nine months. In my first game back in Baltimore, Chris Carter of the surging Oakland Athletics sent a towering blast in my direction. Knowing the ball was going to land in a mass of people – the stadium was a little crowded that night – I chose a row I believed would be closest to where the ball is was going to land. The row I chose ended up being only two or three rows higher than where it landed. With luck going my way, the ball deflected off a barehanded fan and ricocheted right to me. However, with luck back to not going my way, the bounce happened so quickly and unexpectedly that the ball hit me in my stomach and fell out of reach.
Here I am preparing to pounce on the Mark Reynolds home run.
In August I was looking to start a new monthly home run streak after failing to grab one in July. Mark Reynolds sent a jack a little to my right. As you can imagine, with steps and other obstacles, tracking a ball hit over your head in the stands at a baseball game is many times more difficult that tracking one in front of you. However, I was able to get into an open row and get close to where the ball landed. When it landed, it was bobbled by barehanded fans and it fell to the ground a row behind me. Instantly, hands came from everywhere trying to grab the ball. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the lucky one this time.
August 27th – Kevin Youkilis
This one is a little blurry (Thanks WGN), but here I am tracking the Youkilis home run down the steps.
It had been a while since I took home a home run from Camden Yards – just under two months.
The White Sox were in town with a good bit of firepower. I’d been fond of the White Sox since the previous season, as they hit two of the three home runs that I caught in three consecutive games. I wouldn’t say that I’ve been fond of Kevin Youkilis as well, though. For years he had been the enemy with the Boston Red Sox. However, I always felt as if I had a good chance to catch a homer every time he stepped to the plate.
I guess it was only a matter of time, and a matter of a change of Sox. On the 27th, Youkilis hit a liner over the wall in left field, perfectly within the aisle that I patrol. I tracked the ball perfectly down the steps, but, because it was hit so hard, I only got a glove on it. The ball rolled into a row close to the wall, but I quickly (and honestly, in a panic), dove on it. It was my 6th ball of the season, 18th of my career. It was Youkilis’ 16th home run of the season and the 145th of his career.
Just a little late on this Adam Jones bomb.
It was an early weekday start to close out a four-game Chicago White Sox series. To put it in short: no one was there. Because of the incompetent Maryland public transportation system and the disaster that is the Baltimore Grand Prix, I arrived to this game a little late. However, as soon as I got into my section – before I could even sit down or take off my backpack – Jose Lopez hit a ground rule double. I was able to jump over some empty rows and pick up the ball without anyone else in sight. Luck was already rolling my way.
With the lack of attendance, I knew just about any home run hit to left field would have a good chance of being mine. When Adam Jones hit a bomb in the third inning roughly two sections to my right, I just put my head down and ran. The ball landed in the last row. Even though I got over there before most people sitting much closer did, I was still too late.
Here’s the Thome ball eluding the hands of a front-row fan.
With the season winding down, I was running out of time to catch a home run from surefire Hall of Famer Jim Thome. The crowds that night pushed me out of left field; and of course, the Orioles alone would end up hitting seven home runs. Instead I spent some time on Eutaw Street, waiting for Thome to go yard. When I saw that ball in the air, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I had to run towards the foul pole to try to get a play on it. Unfortunately, the ball hit the newly installed railing just above the wall and fell back to the field. That one would be my last opportunity to catch a home run in 2012.
Overview:
- 17 Opportunities
- 6 Successes
- J.J. Hardy’s 113th
- Josh Hamilton’s 130th
- Adam Jones’ 86th
- Asdrubal Cabrera’s 54th
- Matt Wieters’ 53rd
- Kevin Youkilis’ 145th
- 3 Botches
Some more photos:
