These are the five best types of fan catches
The BBQ's Best 5 is exactly what it sounds like: Each week, we'll pick a category around the world of baseball and talk about the five best things within that group. Today, we're highlighting the five best types of fan catches.
A super wonderful baseball thing is that, whenever you go to a game, you might actually get to play some baseball from your seat. Fan catches are unique to the sport and a moment for the average person to create extraordinary and unforgettable moments for themselves.
It seems like every other day we're seeing footage of another sweet spectator grab, but what sets a truly spectacular play apart? Here are our five favorite categories of fan catches.
Showing Incredible Range
There are a few stadiums in baseball where home runs hit directly onto the center-field batter's eye are also opportunities for a particularly range-y fan catch. With its enormous center-field berm, Globe Life Park in Texas is perhaps the single best spot for these types of catches. And one Rangers fan named Trent Williams has made a name for himself over the years thanks to his willingness to go after dingers hit onto the lush pasture.
Diving catches in the stands
Usually, diving catches are reserved for the professional athletes on the field and for good reason: Fans don't have the luxury of getting to land on grass. Pulling an all-out, full-extension diving catch in the stands is a risky proposition considering you're most likely landing on either the row of seats behind you or the unforgiving concrete concourse.
And that's why this incredible catch from a Yankees fan back in 2013 deserves legitimate consideration for the most courageous baseball snag of all time.
Using an object other than a glove
Whatever your opinion is on bringing a glove to a game, there's no doubt that it makes catching a foul ball or a home run significantly easier. For the many fans who don't bring their mitt to the park, going barehand is the most common strategy to snag oneself a souvenir.
But there are a few heroic innovators out there who have dared to push the boundaries of what a fan catch can be. We've seen fans use their hats ...
buckets of popcorn ...
and even purses!
Who knows? Maybe we'll start seeing shortstops use buckets of popcorn on the field as well.
The Beer Cup
Cool: Catching a ball with one hand while holding a beer with the other.
Cooler: Having your beer cup explode as you try to catch a ball in it.
Coolest: Somehow catching a ball in your beer without having the whole thing explode and then chugging the beer to become a national hero.
Holding a baby in one hand
While catching a foul ball with a beer in hand is impressive, it comes nowhere close to catching a ball while holding onto your own child. Not only did you protect your offspring from potential harm, you now have a souvenir to gift them that they'll cherish forever.
Catching a foul ball while your daughter naps in your arms? That's incredible athleticism and incredible parenting. Imagine what this dude could do with a glove.
