Matt Adams was involved in a slight altercation with a fan following the pursuit of a foul ball during Thursday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.
Adams, the St. Louis Cardinals’ first baseman, dove into the stands and had a good read on the ball before a fan who had a higher vantage point caught it in the first row of the stands.
It was Adams’ reaction immediately following the fans’ great grab that has gone viral. You can see the full video here. The gif is below:
What you don’t see is the fan’s reaction following the play — a hefty No. 1 salute with the middle finger.
Not only have the Reds and Cardinals been a top the division for the better part of a decade, but the rivalry has been spurred further by events unfolding just like this. And well, this…
P.S. The Reds fan who stole Adams’ foul ball has been identified as Christ Smith by the Cincinnati Enquirer. According to the paper, Smith recently had knee surgery and was therefore even more critical of the unexpected shove from Adams:
“He gave me a shove and I fell back,” Smith said. “I’m pretty sensitive about my knee right now. I’m fresh out of surgery, it’s nothing to joke around about.”
“I didn’t reach over, I stayed where I was, I couldn’t reach out if I tried, because I can’t hit my knee on anything,” Smith said, pointing to the cup holder in front of him right at knee-level.
Adams said he had no intent and didn’t acknowledge any wrong doing.
“I’m not that type of guy to go after anybody,” Adams said according to The Enquirer. “I was just trying to stop from going into the stands and stop from falling in there.”
“I was in line for it, hit the tarp and I heard it hit his glove,” Adams told MLB.com after the Cardinals’ 7-6 win. “I figured he caught it, because I didn’t feel it come into mine. I was just trying to stop from falling in there. They had some pretty good fans on that side. He caught that one, and then the other guy caught the hot shot behind the dugout.”
Some think Adams may receive punishment from the league — that has yet to be seen.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports. – @JHelmuth – “Like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
