Monday night’s matchup between the Cleveland Guardians and Baltimore Orioles got some extra excitement courtesy of a fan in the stands.
In the top of the third inning, Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor ripped a foul ball to the right side off starter Cade Povich.
An initial wide shot from the broadcast camera suddenly focused on a fan sitting in the second deck — who snared the ball with one hand.
Miraculously, the fan — Tim Byer from Pasadena, Md. — didn’t lose either his phone or beverage in his other hand.
“Caught, by the one guy out there, who’s got a drink and a phone in his hand!” exclaimed Orioles broadcaster Kevin Brown.
“That’s insane!” he added.
The improbable snag was one of few highlights from Monday for the home team.
The Guardians eked out a 3-2 win over the Orioles, propelled by another strong start from breakout hurler Tanner Bibee — who went six innings, surrendering one run and striking out seven.
Perennial MVP candidate Jose Ramirez drove in two runs off Povich, who was tagged for three runs in 5 2/3 innings.
The loss marked the fourth straight for Baltimore, which was swept by the Astros this weekend after winning two of three at Yankee Stadium.
The skid is the O’s first time losing four games in a row since May 2022.
After cutting their AL East deficit to just half a game, the Orioles are now two games back of the first-place Yankees.
The next two contests between the Guardians and Orioles remain high stakes for both teams, with each at least 20 games over .500 and in strong position to make the postseason.
According to Fangraphs, Baltimore has a 96.7% chance to reach the playoffs, while Cleveland sits at 92.9%.
Baltimore looks to get back on track against the AL Central leading-Guardians on Tuesday with lefty Cole Irvin toeing the slab.