A fan very likely kept Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo from making a critical play in Wednesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he's not upset about it.
Rizzo was chasing a pop-up in the top of the ninth inning when the Cubs were holding onto a two-run lead against the Pirates. As he reached into the stands, a fan appeared to knock the ball out of Rizzo's glove, allowing Francisco Cervelli to stay at the plate:
A few pitches later, Cervelli hammered a double off the right-center field wall, and the Pirates later tied the game.
Fortunately for the fan, and the Cubs, Chicago ended up winning the game in extra innings, and after the contest Rizzo wasn't too worried about the play.
"I thought I caught it," he said. "It's just one of those weird plays. It was a big win for us. That's all I'm really worried about is us getting the win and coming back after giving up the lead there."
Cubs President Theo Epstein also spoke up about the incident, making an impassioned plea to Cubs fans who might reach for a ball in the stands.
Chicago Baseball
“We all have been to a ton of baseball games as fans, so we all sort of understand that logic doesn’t come into play when a foul ball comes into your vicinity,” Epstein said. “It’s a natural human reaction and natural reaction as a fan. We’re not going to demonize anybody for trying to reach for a foul ball.
“That said, it it’s possible, when we’re in the field and you feel that instinct to reach for the ball, if your brain can overpower you rheart and you can remember that we’re trying to get one of those precious 27 outs, we would really appreciate it and sit back and let our corner infielder or the catcher make the play,” he added.
