CLEVELAND – At some point during this spring’s World Baseball Classic, Jack Seiple bought a Team Australia shirt online.
While Seiple was watching Australia play some 10,000 miles away from the Tokyo Dome in Munroe Falls, Ohio, he wanted to find a way to support Guardians prospect Travis Bazzana, who had a strong showing for his home country in the tournament.
On Monday night, he made the drive to Progressive Field with his wife Samantha in the hopes the shirt would bring some good vibes to the Australian on the diamond. When they took their seats above the ballpark’s 19-foot left-field wall, they quickly realized there was a good chance a home run ball could come their way.
And they were both right -- albeit in a way neither of them expected.
Three batters into the game, Seiple caught a home run from Washington Nationals’ third baseman (and fellow Australian) Curtis Mead.
Right result, wrong Australian.
Mead’s homer came on a cutter down and in that he was able to scoop it 401 feet up and out. While Seiple thought the ball was going to go over his head, he quickly realized that it was barreling toward him at 105.3 miles per hour.
At that point, he made a quick decision.
“I realized there was no one else here, so I just decided to go for it,” he said.
And go for it, he did. Seiple jumped and caught the ball with his left hand all in one motion before landing on his feet perfectly. He followed that up by high-fiving a security guard while being surrounded by the Guardians’ hot dog mascots.
It’s the kind of scene you’d only find at a baseball game.
Mead added another homer in the fifth inning, though this one landed about 20 feet away from Seiple on the Home Run Porch.
Monday’s game was a tangible example of that growth thanks purely to the presence of Bazzana and Mead on the same diamond. It marked the first time two Australia-born players faced off on opposing teams since Peter Moylan (Royals) and Warwick Saupold (Tigers) did so on Sept. 6, 2017.
It was also the first time two Australian-born players both started on opposing teams since Luke Hughes (Twins) and Trent Oeltjen (Dodgers) were in their team’s starting lineups on June 27, 2011.
It also came on a day when former Cleveland Cavalier (and Australian basketball legend) Matthew Dellavedova was in the city for the Cavs’ Eastern Conference Finals game next door against the New York Knicks.
For one night, it felt like Cleveland was sitting on the shore of the Sydney Harbour instead of Lake Erie. And Seiple got to be a part of that thanks to a well-placed seat and a fitting shirt.
“I’m very happy,” he said. “I followed them during the WBC. I’m really glad the game is growing in Australia.”