A Los Angeles Dodgers fan owned up to his slick attempt to swap out baseballs on Sunday after he caught a home run by a player on the visiting San Diego Padres.
The awkward moment arrived after Padres third baseman Manny Machado hit a solo home run to put his team up 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning.
The fan, who wore a baseball glove in the outfield bleachers, jumped up to catch the Machado homer before he reached into his pocket to pull out another baseball to throw onto the field.
It’s not uncommon for a home team’s fans to encourage people who catch homers to toss baseballs back after a player on the opposing team smacks one out of the park.
But the Dodgers fan was caught on camera as he tried to walk away with a souvenir ball hit by a member of the Padres, a division rival of the Los Angeles squad.
The fan later broke down his “ole switcheroo” trick in an interview with Buster Olney for ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.”
“Well, um, I got caught,” said the fan as he winced in a clip shared by Jomboy Media.
“But every ballhawk out here knows to come prepared for a reason like this.”
He said he knew he could be “booed mercilessly” by Dodgers fans for not throwing back a home run ball so he came equipped with the extra baseball on Sunday.
“I’m definitely gonna keep it,” he said of the baseball.
“The wife won’t like it because I try to collect baseballs a lot and I have too many as it is but this one’s for sure going on the mantel.”
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