Dad Impresses Crowd After Catching A Foul Ball While Holding His Drink And His Daughter

May 17, 2023

Watching sporting events has always been thrilling for many people. For some, it could be a chance to see one's favorite athletes and teams beat out others, and for a few, it's a way to bond with one's community and friends, but for others, it might mean hanging out with family too!

Baseball is a beloved sport for many reasons — the sport itself is exciting to watch, but it also comes with a sense of pomp and celebration in the stands that is just as exciting as the game. The sounds and sights of the game make for an amazing experience for all fans when they watch the game from the stands, and once in a while, something even more exciting than the game happens. 

We all know that when foul balls make their way to the crowd, chances are there are only two options – someone could catch the ball brilliantly, or it could land painfully on an audience member. In a Los Angeles Dodgers game on April 30, 2023, something really exciting and enthralling happened to a foul ball. 

Just when one of the balls was hit out of the park, an agile father whose daughter was strapped to his chest, was on the receiving end of a foul ball. He immediately caught the ball as it landed on him. He made the impressive save as it could have landed on his child’s face or head if he did not catch it beforehand. After snagging the ball, the father victoriously waved his hand up in the air, as his confused daughter was unaware of the celebration beside her.

While a catch isn't uncommon throughout the years, what made the father’s save even more impressive was that he was holding another thing in his other hand – his beverage!

This made the commentators quip something interesting – “A beverage, a baby, and a baseball.”

Speaking to NBC Los Angeles, Glendale Fire Department Engineer Steve Pettit elaborated more about his impressive catch. The ball came directly as St. Louis Cardinals’ Tommy Edman hit the ball which landed at the Dodgers Stadium’s second deck. 

"The ball just kind of came up, and it was kind of like slow motion," he told the outlet. "It was sort of like, ‘Boop!’ It just like came right to my hand."

His wife, Misty was at his side during the whole adrenaline-pumping moment: "I pulled my camera out and started to record the reaction because the crowd was going wild, which was really fun to see.”

Pettit’s huge save moment was uploaded on the Dodger’s Official Twitter account with the caption: “This dad caught a foul ball while holding his baby and a drink.” Shortly after, they also shared a photo of Pettit holding the baseball with his drink in the left hand, while his daughter was strapped onto his chest. 

“Dad power,” the post said. 

The video started trending online after being posted, and it now has more than a million views on Twitter. Comments also started pouring in for Pettit, praising him for his amazing reflexes. 

“This is the trifecta of baseball and what we all as fathers aspire to. It’s the pinnacle. Triple BBB. Baby beer baseball,” a user tweeted.

“This guy is gonna be an internet sensation/legend. This is like the 100th time I’ve seen this vid since it happened IRL today! LOVE IT!” another commented. 

Wasn’t his save impressive? What can you say about the dad’s quick reflexes? Have you seen anything like this before? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other baseball fans!