Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nate McLouth made an outstanding catch in the six inning of a game in Toronto against the Blue Jays on Thursday night. McLouth ran full speed to snag a ball that was heading for foul territory before his momentum sent him crashing into the stands. It’s what came after that spoiled a great moment.
As McLouth made his way back to his position after climbing out of the stands, a fan threw what appeared to be a full can of beer at him. McLouth was clearly upset, and O’s manager Buck Showalter came out onto the field and got together with the umpring crew as they tried to figure out which moron in the stands had done it.
Heckling a player is one thing, but throwing a can of beer from that high up is just plain dangerous.
“It just kind of startled me for a second,” McClouth said after the game, via the Baltimore Sun. “I’m not sure how close it landed. That’s just one person doing something they shouldn’t do. … I’m not sure what happened. Somebody threw a bottle of something.”
Apparently the culprit was identified and ejected.
“It’s unfortunate,” Showalter said. “The umpires and the security do what they do. Unfortunately it happens in ballparks now and then. It’s one person and you don’t group the whole [crowd]. They got rid of him … They did what they were supposed to do and we moved on.”
While you hate to let one person’s actions speak for an entire stadium, it’s interesting to note that former Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun ripped Toronto fans last month and said they are getting out of control. Throwing full cans of beer at players would certainly support that notion.
