Outrage Erupts as Man Snatches Baseball from Young Girl

Baseball enthusiasts were left outraged after a man snatched a ball from a young girl during a game on Monday night.

In the fifth inning of the matchup between Tampa Bay and Cleveland, Guardians star Daniel Schneemann hit a two-run homer into the right field.

An adult fan attempted to catch the ball but failed, causing it to slip from his grasp and bounce toward a young girl.

She hurried down the steps, eager to claim the prized keepsake, but the man fumbled alongside her, ultimately seizing the ball before she could reach it.

The man then triumphantly waved the ball in the air in an awkward celebration before settling back into his seat, leaving the girl disheartened.

A clip of the incident quickly went viral and caused fury on social media, with baseball fans labeling the man ‘pathetic’.

A Cleveland Guardians fan has been blasted for stealing a ball away from a young girl

The fan failed to catch the ball and then raced over to grab it before the little girl could

The young girl looked devastated by the incident as fans destroyed the man on social media

One posted: ‘As many games I’ve gone to in my MLB life, I have never caught a ball but I would NEVER steal the opportunity from a kid. Pathetic response from the guy.’

Another commented: ‘Imagine celebrating after you wrestle a little girl for a baseball. That is an all-time bozo move.’

A third replied: ‘What a greedy grown a** man. I can’t stand old people doing this to children. Every if he genuinely caught the ball which is obvious he did not. He could have pretended he missed and handed it to the little girl.’

‘As a man, you shouldn’t even make an attempt at a foul ball unless it’s to keep it from hitting a woman or child,’ another commented. 

‘Typical Cleveland fan for you. They’re the worst,’ one fan exclaimed. 

The moment was caught on live TV and Tampa Bay’s play-by-play announcer Andy Freed issued a stunned response. He said: ‘No! He’s not gonna steal that!’

‘Yeah, that can’t happen,’ color commentator Brian Anderson then added.

Fortunately, there was a happy ending to the story thanks to the Rays’ broadcast crew’s sideline reporter, Ryan Bass.

After watching the incident unfold, Bass raced up to the section the girl was sitting in and handed both her and her younger brother a baseball. The girl was seen crying as Bass walked away.

Tampa Bay’s sideline reporter Ryan Bass went up to the stands and gave the girl her own ball

Bass posed for a selfie with the family after his act of kindness ensured a happy ending

The young girl’s mom revealed in a Facebook post later on Monday the man gave the ball back

‘Just exercising all of that bonus girl dad energy,’ Bass posted alongside a clip of the moment.

The Rays broadcast also revealed they saw the girl’s brother approach the man and ask for the ball back for his sister during a commercial break.

And the girl’s mom revealed on Facebook later on Monday night that the man did, in fact, give the ball back. 

Nikki DeVore posted: ‘You know my son went to ask him for the ball, which was so brave.

‘I just have to say thank you to Tampa for broadcasting it, when Cleveland broadcast cut to puppies rather than show the man stealing the ball from a child.

‘I cannot thank Ryan and Tampa enough for making things right. Thank you all for looking out for ALL young baseball fans. It is top-notch sportsmanship. 

‘My daughter and I cried happy tears. I am so proud of my kids for how they handled tonight, and so proud of Tampa and its fans for standing up for my child.

‘The pressure resulted in the man giving her the home run ball back 4-5 innings later towards the end of the game. It wasn’t the same but we appreciated him doing the right thing. But we appreciate all of you even more.’

The incident drew comparisons to the infamous ‘Phillies Karen’, who bullied a man into handing over a home run ball that he’d snagged for his son back in September.