Javier Báez saves day for kid who missed out on catching foul ball
Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Báez didn’t have a huge game at the plate Sunday, but he still managed to play the hero. When Báez noticed a young Cubs fan miss out on a ball in foul territory, he jumped at the chance to make it right.
What caused Javier Báez to help out a young Cubs fan?
During the bottom of the fourth inning, a ball wound up under the tarp near Cubs first base coach Will Venable. He picked up the ball, and tossed it directly to a young Cubs fan sitting in the first row. The young fan wasn’t able to react until it was too late. The ball fell in front of him, which caused a mad scramble.
The ball was eventually picked up … but by an older fan behind the kid. The older fan picked up the ball and gave it to the woman next to him.
What did Javier Báez do to make the young Cubs fan’s day?
Báez made sure to fix the situation. Instead of getting one foul ball, the young fan was delivered two balls — at least one of which was signed by Báez.
A @javy23baez signed ball should take care of it. #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/4YzUlG8qfN
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 22, 2018
The young Cubs fan was all smiles after that.
Is the adult Cubs fan to blame?
Turns out, the man may have helped the young Cubs fan get a ball earlier in the game.
I spoke with people from the Cubs. The man who grabbed the ball on the widely seen video had actually already helped the little boy get a ball earlier. The young man has a game used ball and a Javy Baez ball. All is well. Guy is A-OK so let it go people.
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) July 23, 2018
That information wasn’t revealed until hours after the game. Plenty of people were upset by the adult fan’s actions after seeing the video in real time.
Credit to Báez and the Cubs for making sure the fan got a ball. They not only made his day, but the gesture probably gave Báez a life-long fan.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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