Social media was abuzz last night with news of a Blue Jay — but not a Toronto Blue Jay.
Thanks to Twitter user @JakeLandis for tweeting this photo.
Was that man in the E-town hoodie who caught Phillies’ Cody Asche’s grand slam Elizabethtown College’s Dean of Faculty E. Fletcher McClellan? Alumni and students following on social media pretty much agreed it was; alumni shared their former professor’s love of the baseball team. This morning, Fletcher confirmed it was indeed, he–A Blue Jay–who caught the ball at last night’s Phillies/Blue Jays game.
“[It was] very exciting. I think I was in shock or in that zone where time stands still, but everybody in my section was going crazy. Before you know it, I was high-fiving my neighbors like I was the mayor of right field,” said McClellan via email this morning.
I held the holy grail for 10 minutes.”
He added that he sat near the same seat in 2006 and “just missed catching a Jimmy Rollins home run. So lightning really strikes twice!” Another irony, McClellan added, is that this was the first ball he caught at an MLB game and I had to give it back “because Cody Asche would want to keep a memento of his first big league grand slam. So, I held the holy grail for 10 minutes.”
(edited to add) According to Fletcher, while Asche kept the prize keepsake ball, representatives from the Phillies said they’d provide him something special: tickets for his family for an upcoming home game, a meet and greet/photo opportunity with Asche, and a signed ball and jersey.
Recap of the of Social Media Buzz
Take a look at this social media action last night and this morning:
Have you ever been on the big screen at a sporting event? What did you do?