One Toronto Blue Jays fans came incredibly close to a historic grab, and perhaps the payday that would have came with it, Wednesday night at Rogers Centre as New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge launched his 61st home run of the season into left field.
Frankie Lasagna, however, was unable to come away with the grab as the 394-foot shot deflected off a wall and fell into the Blue Jays bullpen below. It prompted one fan in left field to throw his glove in frustration while Lasagna put his hands on top of his head, depicting the moment was not lost on anybody in left field.
“Two more feet and I would have had it,” Lasagna told The Canadian Press after Judge’s seventh-inning blast tied the American League single-season home run record set by Roger Maris in 1961. “I needed a fishing net and I would have got it.
“When he hit the ball, it was like ‘Oh my God! Oh my God!’,” Lasagna explained. “The disbelief comes over you and just the shock and the amazement. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I almost had it.'”
Lasagna and others in the vicinity were ridiculed by many on social media given the fact a large contingent of those actually had worn their own gloves. Lasagna told The Canadian Press he grabbed his from the garage before venturing to Rogers Centre given where his seats were and Judge’s well-known home run chase.
“I would never ever bring a glove other than this situation,” Lasagna said. “I needed a bigger one.”
Perhaps fans at Yankee Stadium will make note of Lasagna’s missed opportunity with Judge and the Yankees set to return to the diamond Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles.
