Joey Votto physically confronts fan after foul ball, apologizes with kind gesture
When sitting in the front row at a baseball stadium, there is one simple unwritten rule to abide by: Don't mess with foul balls that might still be in play when the home team is on the field (cc: Steve Bartman).
During the Cincinnati Reds' 7-5 walk-off victory vs. the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday evening, a pop fly off the bat of Stephen Piscotty drifted toward The Great American Ballpark stands — Reds first baseman Joey Votto reached for the playable ball, and then this happened:
Was it the fan's fault? The ball clearly hits Votto's glove, but, he appeared to be bothered by the intruding fan's presence. While the world debated who was in the wrong, Votto realized emasculating the fan in front of the world may not have been the best course of action — he offered a hand-written apology to the fan as the Reds took the field the following inning, on a unique piece of parchment:
This is awesome. Joey Votto signs a ball with an apology for a fan who he interacted with on a foul ball. #MLBonFS1 pic.twitter.com/h7glbaTRfg
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 3, 2016
Votto apologized to that guy. pic.twitter.com/qtVOsVbAc9
— Drew Silva (@drewsilv) August 3, 2016
You know what they say: "No harm, no foul...."
