Major League Baseball

'MVP!' Fans serenade kid after he steals potential home run ball from Reds OF

Updated Aug. 26, 2023 12:31 p.m. ET

The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-8 in a wild contest Friday night in which the D-backs nearly blew a four-run lead in the ninth inning.

But the most impressive highlight of a wild night was a kid stealing the ball from an outfielder who was himself trying to steal a home run.

Tommy Pham lost a homer when a kid snatched the ball from Cincinnati left fielder Spencer Steer's glove, but the Diamondbacks did enough offensive damage before that to beat the Reds.

"Once I saw what happened, I had the same reaction every fan had in the stadium that it was a pretty remarkable play by the kid," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "It looked like the ball was in Steer's glove and the kid stole it. I don't know how he did it."

With Arizona leading 8-4 in the seventh, Pham sent a towering shot to the wall in left. Reds outfielder Spencer Steer timed his leap perfectly and had the ball in his glove, seemingly robbing Pham of the homer.

One problem: A kid stole the ball from Steer.

Also wearing a glove, the kid reached into Steer's glove and pulled the ball out, leaving the left fielder slumped against the wall.

The umpires initially ruled Pham's shot a homer and the hometown fans chanted "MVP! MVP!" at the kid when they saw video of his robbery.

The home run was negated after review, setting off a chorus of boos at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks' broadcast showed the kid and his family being removed from their seats by security.

"I was in the dugout like, out, it's clear interference," Pham said. "I just feel bad for him because kids really don't don't know that interference rules, so sucks that you got to get kicked out for that."

The play may have reminded some fans of a famous incident involving a rising Yankees star named Derek Jeter. It happened in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS, when a fan named Jeffrey Maier reached over and snatched the ball from waiting Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco, pulling it into the stands for a home run. Replay was not in use at the time, the home run stood, and the Yankees went on to win not only that game, but the World Series.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.