Remember, folks, just because you buy a ticket to the game doesn’t mean you have the right to behave however you want.
During Thursday night’s contest between the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, Nate McLouth made one heck of a catch in the sixth inning on a Colby Rasmus slicing fly ball. The ball ended up foul, and McLouth had so much inertia chasing it down that it carried him into the stands down the left-field line. Despite several fans in the immediate vicinity of McLouth signaling “no catch,” the umpire called the play an out, and McLouth began walking back to his position.
That’s when one Toronto baseball fan nearly ruined it for everyone.
As McLouth retreated back to left field, a beer cup came flying down from the upper deck stands and just missed him. Orioles manager Buck Showalter immediately came out of the dugout, and the game was stopped for a few moments. (Remember, if fans get too rowdy, the umpire crew chief has the discretion to say that the home team is not providing a safe environment, and can call the game right then and there.)
Showalter later insinuated after the game that the culprit was caught and ejected.
“It’s unfortunate,” Showalter told The Baltimore Sun. “The umpires and the security do what they do. Unfortunately, it happens in ballparks now and then. It’s one person, and you don’t group the whole [crowd]. They got rid of him … They did what they were supposed to do, and we moved on.”
You can check out McLouth’s circus catch and the unfortunate aftermath in the video below.
