The job of the ball boy or girl seems so simple. You sit on a stool during baseball games with a glove, make small talk with the folks in the front row down the foul lines you man, and you wait to grab foul balls that come your way. The most important thing to remember, of course, is not to interfere with play. That’s the biggest thing you have to remember. If you remember that, all else falls into play.
Yet, that is just so darn hard for many ball people to remember. All too often we see overzealous ball humans make plays at batted balls that are actually fair and in play, leading to awkward moments for all involved, particularly the people with oversized gloves and full uniforms sitting on the stools.
A ball girl in San Francisco set a new precedent Monday night during the Red Sox-Giants game. Sox shortstop Stephen Drew hit a lazy flyball down the left field line into foul territory in the ninth inning. Standard operating procedure in this scenario for ball people is usually to get off their stool (perhaps grabbing the stool and taking it with them), and get the heck out of the way. You know, let the professional athletes do their job. This ball girl was having none of that, though. She wanted to make a play.
Luckily for the Giants, though, Joaquin Arias was still able to make a play. He tracked down and grabbed the foul ball to record the out. Disaster averted.
Check it out in the video below.
