WATCH: Phillies fan risks it all to bring in a Bryce Harper foul ball, ends in embarrassing fashion

Last night Bryce Harper hit a foul ball into the stands, and one poor Phillies fan turned a routine catch opportunity into an all-time blooper. The man took an embarrassing tumble trying to reel it in, and as someone who has watched a lot of fans try and fail to catch foul balls, I feel compelled to break down exactly where he went wrong.

Phillies Fan “Almost Had It”

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The first mistake is that he left his feet.

This guy simply had too much room to operate. Look at the replay and there’s nobody next to him and nobody behind him. Wide open space and because of that, he had the freedom to maneuver, to jump, to get creative, and in his case, that freedom absolutely killed him.

If he’d been packed into a crowded section and forced to stay in his seat and just reach straight up with one arm, his odds of catching it go WAY up. The empty space gave him enough rope to hang himself with and the result was unfortunately.

I don’t really fault him for it, though. Jumping for the ball is a natural reaction, even if it’s a really, really bad one. Your instincts take over and next thing you know you’re airborne with no plan, and from there, a crash landing into the seats and ultimately the floor is basically inevitable.

The Crowd Reaction Is What Sells It

The funniest part of the whole thing is the crowd of Phillies fans in front of him. You can see them all read the play, realize the ball is coming directly at this guy, and back off to give him the room to make the grab. They cleared out to give this Phillies fan his moment and then they got to watch him faceplant directly into the seats and down to the ground.

Nothing better than a group of strangers politely stepping aside so one man can humiliate himself in the spotlight.

Tough look all around and genuinely, I wish the video had kept rolling, because I NEED to know where that ball actually ended up. Hopefully, this ended with our Phillies fan getting that foul ball. Say whatever you want about the attempt but the guy clearly wanted it and was willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

That’s good enough for me. He went for it. He committed. He left it all out there, mostly his face. A for effort, F for execution. Better luck next time, king. Feet on the ground. Sometimes less is more in these situations.

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