Fan at Wrigley Field climbs netting to snag Sal Frelick’s bat during Brewers-Cubs game
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Fan at Wrigley Field climbs netting to snag Sal Frelick’s bat during Brewers-Cubs game
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick lost control of a bat during a game against the Chicago Cubs. A fan climbed the netting separating the seats from the field to retrieve the bat. Security personnel escorted the fan back to his seat. After the game, Frelik gave the fan a bat signed with the inscription “Nice climb!” The Brewers won the game 8-7 after scoring all eight runs in the first six innings off Cubs pitchers Jameson Tallion and Génesis Cabrera. The Cubs dropped to 45-29 but still leads Milwaukee (40-35) by 5.5 games in the NL Central. The game was the largest so far this season at Wrigley Field.
In the sixth inning, Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick swung and missed at a fastball from Chris Flexen. In doing so, Frelick lost control of the bat, and it flew toward the seats, just missing teammate Jackson Chourio in the on-deck circle.
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No one was hit by the bat because it got caught in the netting behind home plate. While the bat was dangling in the netting, one fan decided to go climbing to get a rare MLB souvenir. The spectator stepped onto the ledge separating the seats from the field and put each of his feet into the netting to reach up for the bat.
The fans at Wrigley Field applauded the effort, perhaps envious that they didn’t have a chance to attempt such a daring feat. Security personnel at the ballpark weren’t as admiring, escorting the fan from the seating area. Frelick’s bat was then returned to him in the Brewers’ dugout.
However, the fan soon returned to his seat, cheered on by his fellow spectators. (Thursday’s crowd of 41,078 was the largest so far this season at Wrigley Field.)
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After the game, Frelick explained that he talked to the fan — identified as Lou Farinella of Des Plaines, Illinois — during his next trip to the on-deck circle, surprised that he’d been allowed back to his seat.
“They took it from him,” Frelick said after the game, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I thought he got kicked out, and then for my next at-bat, he’s just back at his seat. But [he told me] they took the bat, though.”
Ultimately, Frelick couldn’t resist rewarding the fan for his effort. Following the game, the outfielder met Farinella in the stands and gave him a bat. Even better, the bat was signed with the inscription “Nice climb!” according to reporter Curt Hogg.
Farinella reportedly posed for photos with fans in the aisle later in the game. Amazingly, this wasn’t his first encounter with a bat during an MLB game. He told the Journal Sentinel that he caught a bat lost by Houston Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio that was headed into the stands, preventing it from hitting an elderly woman sitting next to him.
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Milwaukee won Thursday’s game 8-7 after scoring all eight runs in the first six innings off Cubs pitchers Jameson Tallion and Génesis Cabrera. Rhys Hoskins, Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins each hit home runs, with Collins tallying three RBI.
The Cubs got homers from Pete Crow-Armstrong (who reached 20 homers and 20 stolen bases), Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ but couldn’t overcome the Brewers’ early barrage. Chicago dropped to 45-29 but still leads Milwaukee (40-35) by 5.5 games in the NL Central.