Tuesday’s Major League Baseball games in Philadelphia and Cincinnati included fan interaction that got a little too close to the playing field.
In Philadelphia, home-plate umpire Bob Davidson appeared to eject a fan in the sixth inning for heckling. The fan reportedly kept repeating “You suck!” at Davidson during the game. According to a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Phillies, Davidson complained to security about the fan’s language, and when asked to leave, the fan obliged.
#Phillies spokesperson said Bob Davidson complained to security about fan's language and, when approached, fan agreed to leave on his own.
— Aaron Bracy (@Aaron_Bracy) August 3, 2016
In a pool report after the game, Davidson said the fan used a homophobic slur toward him, prompting him to have the fan removed.
Umpire Bob Davidson ejected a fan, and @KevinCooney provided this pool report. It'd be a disservice to alter it. So: pic.twitter.com/R1Y9OuYTph
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) August 3, 2016
In Cincinnati, a Reds fan in the front row attempted to catch a foul ball in the seventh inning that Reds first baseman Joey Votto also was trying to catch. Neither Votto nor the fan made the catch, and when Votto realized it was a Reds fan who interfered with him, he looked at the Reds logo on the fan’s shirt, grabbed it, then walked away in disgust.
Votto received both praise and criticism on Twitter for his actions, but cooler heads prevailed. Votto wrote an apology on a baseball and had it delivered to the fan, and the two made amends.
This is awesome. Joey Votto signs a ball with an apology for a fan who he interacted with on a foul ball. #MLBonFS1 pic.twitter.com/h7glbaTRfg
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 3, 2016
The Votto-Reds fan interaction was not the best player-fan baseball moment this week. On Monday, Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy recorded a franchise-record 16 strikeouts in a win at Tampa Bay. After the game, Duffy tossed his hat, which would have been perfect for the Royals Hall of Fame, to one lucky Royals fan in the stands. (Read more about the young fan in The Kansas City Star.)
#Royals kid fan with Danny Duffy's hat. @TheFakeNed @RoysVines @Deadspin pic.twitter.com/hUKtrUilTL
— Stuart Goldman (@stuart_goldman) August 2, 2016
