A Seattle Mariners fan earned praise from baseball fans and his favorite team for handing over a historic home run ball to a little boy — weeks after an infamously viral fan caught high heat.
Glenn Mutti-Driscoll was met with thunderous applause at T-Mobile Park when he caught Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh’s home run ball during Wednesday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies.
The home run marked the first time a Mariners player reached the 60-home run mark in a single season.
Mutti-Driscoll raised the ball in the air and celebrated for around 15 seconds before he suddenly handed the souvenir over to 12-year-old Marcus Ruelos, who was seated nearby.
“The whole thing was surreal,” Mutti-Driscoll told MLB.com on Thursday. “It just was happening so fast, and like, standing there with it, and I was just looking down at a kid, and he deserves more than me. … And I guess if it’s helping bring whatever — baseball’s reputation [has] those sorts of feel-good stories.”
“A genuine act of kindness, a true gentleman. Marcus was in tears. We were all in shock,” Galan Ruelos, Marcus’ dad, said on Facebook.
The father-son duo was then escorted to a reception area, where they received an autographed bat in exchange for the baseball.
“To this kind gentleman- thank you from the bottom of my heart for this sincere act of kindness,” Galan Ruelos said. “My son will forever be indebted to you and I hope sometime in his life he will repay a similar act of kindness to another kid in his lifetime. The lesson: Always be kind.”
The team invited Mutti-Driscoll and his family to the ballpark on Thursday to meet Raleigh on the field ahead of the game.
“Before today’s game, Cal met up with the Mariners fan who caught No. 60 and handed it off to another young fan… You love to see it ,” the team wrote on X.
The Mariners’ star catcher signed a bat that read “Glenn, Thanks for being a good guy & nice catch!”
The Big Dumper also signed two baseballs for the fan’s kids and took photos in front of the dugout.
“The Mariners celebrated a great achievement of winning their 1st division title since 2001. Cal Raleigh hit 2 home runs and my son was given his 60th home run ball as a random act of kindness,” Galan Ruelos said.
“But when my son remembers this milestone, he will cherish the moment someone was kind to him and gifted that ball.”
This week’s series helped the Mariners clinch a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and made Raleigh, who is now the favorite to score American League MVP, become the seventh player in history to have 60 home runs in a single season.
Mutti-Driscoll’s heartwarming gesture was very different from how a viral home run incident went down in the stands during a game between the Phillies and Marlins at LoanDepot Park earlier this month.
An unnamed woman, who failed to grab the home run ball hit by Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader, was captured yelling at Drew Feltwell until he handed over the prized possession he caught for his son.
Feltwell said he gave her the ball because he wanted to de-escalate the situation.
Baseball fans pointed out that the angry Phillies fan in the viral video should have acted like Mutt-Driscoll.
“A certain Phillies fan, please take notice…” a social media user wrote on X.
“That’s the kind of play that never shows up on a box score but wins hearts forever. Class act by the fan & Cal,” another person added under the Mariners’ photos of Mutti-Driscoll and Raleigh.
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