Fan comes away with two foul balls ... on consecutive pitches!
Sometimes in baseball, the ball just finds you -- even when you're in the stands.
One lucky Mariners fan became a true foul ball magnet on Monday night when he ended up with a pair of souvenirs ... on back-to-back pitches!
In the bottom of the first inning, lefty Josh Rojas sent a 1-0 pitch from Brady Singer down the left-field line. Sitting on the aisle right next to the wall, the fan was able to reel foul ball No. 1 in with a two-handed catch, hugging it into his chest to make sure he hung on. He held the ball up and elicited some light cheers from the fans around him before taking his seat, thinking, probably, that he'd made a once-in-a-lifetime play.
Then Singer delivered the next pitch. Again Rojas was late, and again it was poked in the air down the left-field line, headed for the exact same spot. The ball appeared to land on the ground and for a moment it was unclear who had come up with it.
After a few seconds the same sunglasses-clad fan rose to his feet, and with a bit of showmanship that would have made Julio Rodríguez proud, he paused for a moment before raising both hands in the air like a prizefighter being named the winner, a ball in each of them.
"He's got both! He got 'em both!" Seattle play-by-play broadcaster Aaron Goldsmith exclaimed.
Indeed he did. Two baseballs. One epic story to tell.