Brandon Nimmo handed the fan two signed baseballs after what the Astros fan didn’t do during what appeared to be a Yordan Alvarez home run.
HOUSTON — The Astros and Rangers are bitter American League West rivals, but a Houston fan’s appreciation of the game and a Rangers right fielder’s gesture Sunday rose above any hostilities the two teams and their fans may have.
It was the bottom of the fourth inning in a scoreless game. Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez got hold of a pitch from Nathan Eovaldi and drove it deep to right.
Texas right fielder Brandon Nimmo was tracking it all the way to the wall, then leapt and snagged the would-be homer and pulled it back into the field of play.
Lifelong Astros fan Ronald Branch was in the front row in right field. He saw the ball coming right at him, but instead of trying to snag the souvenir, he backed off and let Nimmo do his thing.
It was something that Nimmo apparently noticed. Later in the game, he headed right for Branch, handing him and someone in his group two baseballs, one that read, “Thanks 4 Letting Me Go After It!”
Branch posted about the experience on Facebook, describing the play and writing, “Loyal Astros fan always… but also loyal to the game itself. Besides, when Yordan sends one into orbit, you just sit back, admire the moonshot, and let the outfielder make the business decision.”
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