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A home run ball by Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader made national headlines due to one fan berating a father and son to hand over the ball after it reached the stands.
Unfortunately, after 19 seasons in the league and being a fan of the game since retirement, Hall of Famer CC Sabathia isn’t surprised to see fans fight over baseballs. This situation, though, was a “crazy” one.
“You see that stuff all the time from fans, but that was crazy. I’ve never seen anything to that extent, and so many different people caught it on their cameras,” Sabathia told Fox News Digital while at his PitCCh In Foundation’s fifth annual Golf Classic at Alpine Country Club in New Jersey. “It was like seven different angles, which is insane.”
Drew Feltwell, his son Lincoln, and daughter Avery appeared on Fox News’ “America Reports” to talk about the viral moment, where Drew Feltwell thought he was making a core memory for his son after finding Bader’s homer on the ground among multiple spectators.
But a female Phillies fan, as Sabathia mentioned, was captured marching up to the Feltwells, demanding they give her the ball.
“I can’t even repeat that on air. She was very vulgar,” Drew Feltwell said. “Screaming right in my ear that, you know, a lot of bad words and, ‘That’s my ball.’ That was her section, and she tried to tell me she had the right to that ball. The screaming and yelling kind of got to us, and I just wanted her to go away. So that’s how she got the ball.”
Feltwell didn’t have any qualms about how he handled the situation, but the power of social media ended up reaching the Phillies. Sabathia loved seeing how the team rallied to make the kid’s night even more special than just being the lucky recipient of a home run ball.
“It just sucks that kid had to go through that, but it’s pretty cool, the power of social media, right?” Sabathia said. “Right away, Bader’s out there giving him a bat, and the Phillies hooked him up. So it’s cool to see guys be able to respond and help that kid out right away. That’s fun.”
Lincoln Feltwell got a package of souvenirs from the Phillies, as well as meeting Bader after the game, receiving a signed bat in the process.
“I hope that ball meant a lot to her,” Lincoln Feltwell said.
A Golfing “LegaCCY”
While Sabathia is no longer flipping baseballs into the stands after his outings on the mound, the 2025 Hall of Fame first-ballot inductee is a “full-time golfer,” finding passion on the links shortly after retirement.
That passion has become an annual part of his philanthropic work through his PitCCh In Foundation, which runs many programs for underserved youth across the country.
“It’s fun to be able to get people out here on the course and just blend the worlds of my sports, my business world, and my philanthropy world. Get people out here on the course and have a good time for charity,” Sabathia said.
The Tuesday outing came right after a massive night for the foundation at the LegaCCy Gala at the Natural History Museum in Manhattan. With stars like Derek Jeter, Gerrit Cole, and many others involved, the gala raised more than $375,000 in support of the foundation’s mission.
The Yankees also honored Sabathia for entering the Hall of Fame on Sunday, when they announced a donation of $250,000 to the foundation.
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