There was a strikeout that took place during Tuesday’s Pirates and Athletics game that you’re not going to find in the box score. That’s because it was recorded by a fan who ended up with a souvenir he tried to give away to three ladies.
He was quick to his feet and jumped over his two buddies to retrieve a foul ball that landed on the grass nearby. He had great anticipation after a diving attempt by a fan in front of him came up empty. He pounced on it as soon as it stopped bouncing around on the hill.
It should be mentioned that it doesn’t appear as if he spilled a drop of his beverage on the play either. That, along with the athleticism displayed, should have helped him out for what was coming next. Unfortunately, it didn’t.
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After grabbing the baseball and making his way back to where he was sitting, he glanced up the hill and noticed three ladies sitting close to where he made his play. He gave the ball a toss in the air and started walking toward them.
Looking back at the replay, as I've done several times, the toss might be where he went wrong here. It was a little too much. You can’t fill your head up with arrogance before stepping up to the plate. You need a good balance of humility and confidence.
He extends the ball to the ladies and brutally swings and misses. Strike one, strike two and strike three. None of the three wanted the ball. All he could do was exactly what he did, turn back around and grab a seat.
Baseball is a game of failure. You’re going to swing and miss, and you’re going to do so in brutal fashion on three pitches sometimes. It’s part of the game. He can't take this failure into his next at-bat.