It was a hard-hit home run. But there's a catch (by a fan, barehanded, on his birthday)

Scorching line drives can give any Major League fielder trouble: Even in the outfield, the force of a screamer with a triple-digit exit velocity can knock a defender off his feet.

But don’t tell that to Joe, a lifelong White Sox fan who made the trip to Rate Field on Saturday to celebrate a birthday he will never forget.

In Section 108, just beyond the right-field wall, Joe -- wearing a White Sox “Southside Irish” giveaway jersey and a pin reading “It’s my birthday today” -- received an unexpected souvenir, courtesy of Chicago shortstop Colson Montgomery.

In the first inning, Montgomery crushed a 112.3 mph line drive off Twins starter Taj Bradley over the wall in right field. Right toward Joe.

“It was tailing,” the devoted Sox fan told Chicago Sports Network field reporter Connor McKnight. “I played right field in high school, so I was like, all right, It’s tailing back my way. And then I just ... caught it.”

That might be an understatement. Joe snagged the screaming liner almost effortlessly in his left hand, and his stare of pure shock and incredulity made the whole moment perfect.

With the impressive grab, he made good on a prediction from his dad in a text message earlier in the day: Happy birthday. Hope you enjoy the day. Have fun at the game. Hopefully you catch a ball.

“I said, ‘I’ll try my best to catch a ball,’” Joe said. “And then, lo and behold …”

Attending his first White Sox game of the year, he said he “literally could not” imagine celebrating his birthday with a catch like Saturday’s. But by the time he was being interviewed on Chicago’s TV broadcast in the fourth inning, reality had sunk in.

When McKnight told viewers Joe had caught a ball -- on his birthday, no less -- he displayed the confidence his stellar snag deserved.

“I did,” he said. “I did.”