Dad catches foul ball while infant son doesn’t spill a drop (Video)

WASHINGTON — By this point, you’ve seen videos of parents (OK, dads — it’s almost always dads) catching foul balls at the ballpark while cradling babies. It’s potentially dangerous — heck, it’s actually dangerous. But when it works out for everyone, it’s awesome, and a Chicago fan — OK, a dad — took it to the next level Tuesday night.

Keith Hartley caught a foul ball along the first-base rail at Wrigley Field off the bat of Jason Hammel while the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Adrian Gonzalez gave chase, all while not only holding 7-month-old Isaac, but while Isaac was bottle-feeding, ESPN reports.

He made the grab; Isaac didn’t even stop slurping, and not a drop was spilled.

Unfortunately, his catch was a little too spectacular: The umpires ruled that Hartley had interfered with a ball Gonzalez could’ve caught, and Hammel was ruled out. (As ESPN points out, the relationship between Cubs fans and the catching of foul balls has long been complicated.)

Hammel wasn’t too upset about it, later telling ESPN that Hartley’s catch was the “best play of the night.”

Cubs manager Joe Maddon agreed: “That was a great play.”

Hartley says Gonzalez didn’t say anything to him about it, adding, “Hopefully he’s not too angry. He is on my fantasy team.”

Kari Hartley says she was “a little bit nervous” about the proximity of Isaac to a live ball, but Keith Hartley says he did it to protect the baby from the ball potentially bouncing off the rail and hitting him.

Uh huh.

 

Thanks for the third out, man. pic.twitter.com/xDQxIuaqx9

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 24, 2015

Here’s father Keith and 7 month old son Isaac at #Cubs game after the catch pic.twitter.com/9BJbKvmqBc

— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) June 24, 2015