An A's ballboy just missed making an impressive snag, but this fan had his back

Ballboys are subject to the same merciless forces of chance as players. Sometimes they make the outstanding catch …

And sometimes, like one A's ballboy during Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Angels, they just miss it. 

But if you look closely, you'll notice that the fan sitting directly behind the ballboy made an impressive snag of his own as the ball sailed past the ballboy's outstretched glove, effectively erasing the miss.
This way, the ballboy could just say he didn't want to deny the fan a chance at a memorable souvenir, so he missed it on purpose. Totally plausible.