Relive all the joy, surprise and sadness with the 10 greatest fan reactions of the 2016 MLB season
Without fans, baseball would simply be a wild workout. Fortunately, the fans are there and their cheers, outfits and insane reactions help make the sport so fun. While most of our the focus is on the field of play, every now and then, a fan emerges to remind us that anyone at a baseball game can be a star.
Here are 10 of the best fan reactions of 2016:
The sequel to Edvard Munch's "The Scream"
Think of your favorite horror movie. Maybe it's "The Exorcist" or "Carrie." Either way, I doubt you've ever been as scared as this Twins fan was when outfielder Logan Shafer hit White Sox reliever
Even better was just how little her Dad/Howard Dead-lookalike seems to care:
All the emotions under the sun
When the Pirates faced the Nationals in July, this young Pirates fan when the Bucs took a 1-0 lead:
Things were looking pretty good until
Reading lips, he seemed to be saying, "BLURGHFLURGING JURGMORSTER!!!!"
The game would then go to 18 innings -- a full second game. Fortunately for this fan, and presumably anyone that had to rush home to let the dogs out,
The Cubs fan who didn't need a hug
When the Cubs defeated the Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS to advance to their first World Series since 1945, there weren't many dry eyes in the stands. Strangers came together in loving, tearful joy. One fan didn't need a hug, though:
No, really, it's okay:
The vendor-turned-outfielder
This Braves vendor caught a grand slam off the bat of
The
Remember when you burst into tears after watching Christian the Lion? This is like that, but better. Mike Trout -- that Greek god in a baseball uniform -- gave this young fan an autograph, and, well, see for yourself:
Hall of mirrors
Have you ever worried that you would find yourself trapped in a hall of mirrors, and with every step, you would only find an infinite number of reflections of yourself? That's basically what happened to this selfie-snapping Indians fan ... just with the videoboard.
Spotted on @baseballreddit: When your selfie game is 💯!
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) May 4, 2016
(hat tip /u/kchab, @WillFrasure) pic.twitter.com/HAAcsHS6aE
Every single elderly Cubs fan
They may not have been inside Wrigley Field for the World Series, or at Progressive Field for the clincher, but they've put in plenty of years following the team and holding out hope for a World Series victory. This year, they got their well-earned reward.
My grandpa: 94yr old WWII vet & lifelong @Cubs fan. He gets to celebrate with tears of joy tonight #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/EEQxotNa8i
— Anfrony (@Jeenyusaurus) November 3, 2016
World Series Champion @Cubs. So happy to watch it with my #grandma pic.twitter.com/p49nH680Ip
— Michele Wingate (@MicheleWingate) November 3, 2016
The Ric Flair
99 percent of baseball fans celebrate snagging a foul ball by lifting their hand in the air to proclaim, "Look upon me! I am your god of catching flying objects." This fan, who stuck around through a rain delay, decided to celebrate with a Ric Flair strut after making the play on a
The Sugar Rush
What does it feel like to eat cotton candy -- when that sweet, sweet pure sugar hits your veins? No longer must we rely on doctors to explain that. It's this:
Oh, and the Mariners won 8-3 that day. Which surely only made the fabric-like candy taste all the sweeter.
Bill Murray is the best of us
If you often think, "Gee, if I were a famous movie star with plenty of money and cultural cache, I would spend it all on baseball," well, you'd be Bill Murray. The Minor League-team owning actor is also a diehard Cubs fan. And this year, he represented the millions of Cubs fans around the globe with glee.
He led his section in singing "Shout" during the NLDS:
He had a birds-eye view of
And he even added to his growing myth by simply handing out tickets to World Series games:
Best-dressed @Cubs fan: Bill Murray.https://t.co/Gakb3YrlAB #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/SftDtm6En7
— MLB (@MLB) November 2, 2016
When it was all over and the Cubs had emerged with their first World Series championship in 108 years, he even got to douse Theo Epstein in champagne. That is the dream of any and all Cubs fans: