Villar undeterred by tipped-over ball bucket

June 12th, 2021

NEW YORK -- Some popups are a little trickier to catch than others.

learned that during the fifth inning of the Mets’ game against the Padres on Friday, when a batboy accidentally knocked over a bucket of baseballs while scampering out of the way of Villar, who was in pursuit of a Jurickson Profar foul pop. Either unaware or unconcerned of the potential safety hazard, Villar managed to catch the popup without incident, despite a scattering of baseballs around him.

Only after catching the ball did Villar look back at the carnage around him.

(For those suspecting ill intent, fear not: visiting batboys are employed by the home team; they simply wear the uniform of the visitors while in their dugout.)