A man went viral on Monday, April 27, for stealing a home run ball away from a young girl at the Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
The moment unfolded during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians.
The male fan’s actions drew furious responses from in-house commentators as well as netizens, one of whom labeled him “pathetic.”
However, the actions of a sideline reporter changed the atmosphere immediately, earning praise from the masses.
A man drew widespread condemnation for taking a baseball from a young fan
Image credits: ECloskyWTSP/X
The man, who remains unidentified, was seen attempting to catch the ball first, but after he failed, it bounced toward the girl, who raced down the steps to secure it.
She, however, could not get a hold of the ball, as the man fumbled around on the floor with her and beat her to it.
Image credits: ECloskyWTSP/X
Tampa Bay Rays play-by-play announcer Andy Freed issued a stunned response to the man’s action, exclaiming, “He’s not gonna steal that!”
“Yeah, that can’t happen,” commentator Brian Anderson added.
The man disappointed the duo as he lifted the ball into the air to celebrate before returning to his seat, leaving the girl visibly devastated.
An angry netizen wrote, “As many games as I’ve gone to in my MLB life, I have never caught a ball, but I would never steal the opportunity away from a kid. Pathetic response from the man.”
Another remarked, “Imagine celebrating after you wrestle a little girl for a ball. That is an all-time bozo move.”
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“What a greedy grown a** man. I can’t stand old people doing this to children,” noted a third.
“As a man, you shouldn’t even make an attempt at a ball unless it’s to keep it from hitting a woman or child,” the next schooled.
A reporter saved the girl’s day by granting her a different ball to take home
Image credits: ECloskyWTSP/X
Ryan Bass, who covers Tampa Bay Rays games for Rays TV and News Nation, raced up to the section where the girl was seated and handed her, as well as her brother, a baseball.
He posed for a selfie with the siblings and their mother, then walked away.
The girl was deeply moved by the gesture and was seen crying.
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“Kudos to the hero MLB reporter for doing the right thing — keeping the spirit of the game alive for kids,” a netizen said in appreciation of Bass.
“Salute to my guy,” another added.
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The girl’s mother, Nikki DeVore, recounted the incident on social media later that day.
“You know my son went to ask him for the ball,” she wrote on Facebook, describing how her children handled the situation.
She also thanked the Tampa Bay Rays for continuing to show the man clashing with her daughter, noting that Cleveland’s coverage had cut away.
Image credits: Ry_Bass/X
“I cannot thank Ryan and Tampa enough for making things right. Thank you for looking out for all young baseball fans,” she said.
She went on to reveal that the man returned the home run ball after facing mounting scrutiny.
“It wasn’t the same, but we appreciated him doing the right thing,” she said.
The fight over the baseball mirrored a 2025 incident that saw a woman being mocked
Image credits: Nikki DeVore/Facebook
During a Philadelphia Phillies vs. Miami Marlins game in September 2025, a man secured a home run ball hit by the former team’s Harrison Bader and gave it to his son.
A nearby woman demanded the ball, arguing it fell near her, and acted aggressively toward the father-son duo.
To avoid conflict, the father asked his son to hand over the ball to the woman.
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Fans were left fuming over the behavior of this woman, with one calling her a “Karen Hall of Famer.”
The boy received gifts from both teams in action that day to cheer him up.
The Marlins gave him a goodie bag while the game was on, which had the crowd cheering, and Bader gave him a signed bat after the game.
Image credits: CollinRugg/X
A faction of netizens later supported the woman’s claim that the ball had fallen near her; hence, she was entitled to it.
“The father did not catch it. She is an older lady and was almost going to pick it up, and he opportunistically took advantage of her limited agility,” one said.
“Why do people love to vilify women so much? That was her ball,” another agreed.
“What happened to you in your life that you needed a home run ball that bad?” a social media user asked the newly viral man
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