Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Thanks to SNY's Steve Gelbs, we now know what really happened with the Todd Frazier 'catch' into the stands

On Monday, Todd Fraziermade a catch against the Dodgers on an Alex Verdugo foul ball that resulted in him falling into the stands. Yes, something rather similar to that Derek Jeter catch in 2001:

Well, it appeared he actually pulled a switcheroo on the ball.
According to SNY's Steve Gelbs, the question was whether or not he actually made the catch. The answer? No.
Not only did he not make said catch, but the ball he was holding up to show the umpire was not the baseball hit by Verdugo:

"It was a rubber baseball -- the likes of which 6, 7-year-olds would use," Gelbs explained.
MLB.com's Anthony DiComo talked to Frazier about the moment to get some more details:
As Frazier fell to the ground, he says, the ball actually popped out of his glove. He fumbled around for it and grabbed what he thought was the baseball, only to realize it was a cheap, youth ball that someone brought to the game for autographs.
None the wiser to Frazier's schemes, third-base umpire Mark Wegner called Verdugo out. Frazier then climbed out of the stands and, realizing he needed to dispose of the evidence, tossed the rubber ball into the crowd.
"It is Hollywood," Frazier said. "Sometimes, you've got to act out a little bit."
Listen to him tell the story below:

Like Gelbs said, everyone thought this could have been one of the greatest catches they've seen in a long time, but in all actuality, it was one of the "greater deceptions."

BarberJordan
beephero
AP_702417634020
NYC