mlb.com
Caleb Lloyd (l.) can hardly believe his luck after catching a home run ball in the fourth inning Monday night. Heâs even more stunned after catching a second shot from the next batter in the Redsâ lineup.
Apparently the real estate mantra of âlocation, location, locationâ also holds true when attending a baseball game.
Caleb Lloyd was in the right place at the right time Monday night, catching two Reds home-run balls â" back-to-back jacks â" in the fourth inning of Mondayâs game between Cincinnati and the Atlanta Braves.
âI couldnât believe it. I couldnât see it because there was a bird right above it and it just comes down and I was like âIâm catching thisâ and I just snagged it,â a beaming Lloyd told reporters at Cincinnatiâs Great American Ballpark. âThey taught me that in Little League, so Iâm proud of my Little League coach for teaching me that.â
Reds starting pitcher Mike Leake, shortstop Zack Cozart and center fielder Drew Stubbs â" the Nos. 9, 1 and 2 batters in the Redlegs lineup â" led off the fourth inning with back-to-back-to-back homers and Lloyd, who had never even caught a foul ball at a game, snagged the homers by Leake and Cozart in left-centerfield. According to the Elias Sports Bureau itâs the first time a pitcher has sparked a back-to-back-to-back homer binge since Kerry Wood did so with the Chicago Cubs in 2003.
Stubbs went deep to right, denying Lloyd a shot at a third longball, and the Reds went on to win the game, 4-1.
mlb.com
Lloyd gives the Mike Leake homer back to the Reds and the Zack Cozart shot to his friend, who brings him to the game.
âThe first one I actually barehanded, â Lloyd told the Cincinnati Enquirer. âIt hit my hand and I didnât expect to actually catch it. I caught it, and then it bounced off the palm of my hand and I reached out and grabbed it. It hurt really bad, so Iâm like, Iâm not doing it again. But the second one bounced behind me and then it bounced into my lap. My buddyâs like, âYou caught a second one!â I was like, Oh my gosh, this is crazy.â
What may be even crazier is that Lloyd, 20, didnât go home with either of the balls. He gave the Leake homer back to the Reds â" it was the first home-run for the 24-year-old righthander â" and gave the Cozart ball to his friend, who gave him the ticket to the game. âI gave him the ball because he was kind of one of the reasons I was here,â Lloyd said.
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