One-handed grab proves no problem for dad at Nats-mets game

Alan Alcantara played a lot of baseball growing up in the Dominican Republic, sometimes without a glove.

When the Mets’ Starling Marte ripped a home run in Alcantara’s direction at Citi Field on Tuesday night, it didn’t matter that he was holding his 1-year-old son, Levi. Alcantara had a free hand, and that’s all he needed.

The 31-year-old Alcantara reached over a railing from his seats in center field and caught the first-inning homer barehanded, all the while cradling little Levi with his other arm.

“I knew I was not going to have time to put the baby down,” Alcantara said. “So I decided to just hold on tight to him, jump on the rail and see if I could catch the ball. And we did.”

The SNY broadcast captured Alcantara’s catch, with stunned play-by-play man Gary Cohen asking “did he catch that?” and declaring“this man will go viral.”

Indeed, a co-worker of Alcantara’s wife sent them a screengrab of the catch moments later. The Alcantaras were at the game between Washington and the Mets as part of a church group, and other members watching from home also reached out quickly when they saw the grab.

“As soon as it came off the bat, I knew it was coming my way,” he said.“so it was just a matter of seeing where it was going to land. It was just a quick reaction.” The barehanded grab? “Instinct,”he explained.“in Dominican Republic, we don’t all get to have gloves, so we do play baseball barehanded, so I figured I could do it. I did it many times when I was a kid, so why not?”

Alcantara is giving the ball to his pastor, a diehard Mets fan.