Fan Swore He'd 'Catch the Big Ball.' Then He Did

George Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays hit a home run for the ages on Monday night that propelled his team into the World Series. Just ask Michael Angeletti, the fan who caught the ball. "I feel blessed to be a part of Canadian sports history," Angeletti said after the game, per Sportsnet. As the Toronto Star reports, Angeletti bought a seat near the bullpen—prime home-run territory—and brought along a glove just in case. "I told everyone, in every group chat, I was gonna catch the big ball."

Springer's three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh flipped the score from 3-1 in favor of Seattle to 4-3 in favor of Toronto, and that's how the game ended. Angeletti isn't looking to strike it rich by selling the ball, but he tells the Star he has a "very reasonable" ask of Springer and the Blue Jays. He'll trade it for World Series tickets against the Dodgers. No word yet on whether the swap will proceed.

• The Wall Street Journal has a feature on how the Blue Jays signed Springer, 36, to what was then the biggest contract in franchise history back in 2021—exactly for a moment like this.
• Watch multiple calls of the home run here.