BALTIMORE — Sign this guy up. The Orioles can use his defense.
A fan sitting high in the upper deck down the right-field line at Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards made a barehanded catch of a foul ball on Monday, MLB.com reported. Not only did Tim Byers, of Pasadena, Maryland, make the circus catch with his right hand, he also did it with a beer and his cellphone in his left hand.
Byers spun around and deftly raised the ball in his hand, to cheers from the crowd at the ballpark, according to MLB.com.
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor had hammered an 0-1 pitch from Orioles lefthander Cade Povich during the top of the third inning, Sports Illustrated reported. No problem, as Byer made a clean catch.
Byer’s friends were probably not surprised, since he was an outfielder in high school and won a state championship at Chesapeake High School in 1997, according to MLB.com.
“Does it come with a contract?” Byer joked with MASN reporter Rob Long, the baseball website reported.
Long asked how Byer, who is right-handed, happened to catch the ball with his bare hand and not what would have been his “glove” left hand.
“But when you’re good, you’re good,” Byer said.
Byer’s catch was the highlight of Monday’s game for Baltimore fans, since the Orioles (49-29) lost 3-2 to the Guardians, losing their fourth straight game to fall two games behind the A.L. East Division-leading New York Yankees (52-28).
Cleveland, meanwhile, extended its winning streak to six as the Guardians (50-26) continue to lead the A.L. Central Division by eight games over Minnesota.