Without fans, MLB foul balls left lonely and sometimes homeless

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — Mookie Betts made a running catch in foul territory and immediately spotted something just over the padded outfield wall at Dodger Stadium: a lonely, stray baseball.

After signing a $365 million, 12-year contract, the new L.A. leadoff man wasn’t above a little cleanup duty in his debut. He leaned over the railing, scooped up the ball and tossed it behind the right-field fence.

From Target Field to PNC Park and Busch Stadium, there are baseballs scattered everywhere with no fans inside to chase them down during this coronavirus-shortened 60-game season.

No scrambles for souvenirs in the upper deck. No races for home run blasts in the bleachers. No jump balls for foul balls in the box seats.

Some clubs have been more frugal than others when it comes to collecting baseballs. Betts, for instance, took it upon himself to grab that abandoned ball after making a nifty grab.

“I think we’re going to save money, I guess,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said. “I’m sure somebody’s going to sweep it up afterwards. They’ve got to have the base- ball detail that goes out there after the game, as opposed to blowing hot dog wrap- pers, let’s go find baseballs. Everything about all of this is different.”

An approach taken by some teams is sending out souvenirs to fans if their card- board cutout gets hit by a ball. Longtime A’s supporter Richard Lovelady lucked out when his cutout — section 126, row 24, seat 4 — was struck by a foul ball.

“My first A’s game was when I was 5 years old (1973) and I’ve gone to many, many A’s games over the years. Never have I been close to catching a foul ball or home run!” Lovelady wrote in an email. “Thanks to my fam- ily and co-workers, who bought me the cutout, my long drought is over!”

When fans do come back to the ballpark eventually, Angels slugger Justin Upton thinks they should get a special surprise — the chance to pick up all those baseballs in the bleachers that have been fouled off or hit over the fences for home runs.

“It’ll be great when the fans get back in the stadium. Honestly I think they should just leave them there as long as it doesn’t get too crazy where there’s balls everywhere,” he said. “When the fans are allowed back in the stadium, allowing them to walk in and maybe at their feet being able to pick up a baseball from the season before.”

There might not be so many in Minnesota. Dustin Morse, senior director of communications for the

Twins, might be this year’s ball-hawking MVP after mak- ing it his new pastime. Or at the very least he owns the early lead.

Morse spent the opening weekend tracking down every Twins home run, a brave task one year after the “Bomba Squad” set a major league record with 307 homers. He scoured the stands and found Minnesota’s first seven long balls before deciding he couldn’t keep up and announcing his retirement from fetching them.

“I’m tired,” Morse wrote, posting a photo of capa- ble club mascot, T.C. Bear, holding a large net. Bear responded: “Learned from the best.”

ELAINE THOMPSON / AP Ballpark worker Lindsay Garza carries cutouts of fans to place in seats as part of Seattle’s “Mariners Seat Fleet” on July 27. For $30, fans can buy a version of themselves that will sit in at all home games and if a cutout “catches” a foul ball, the team will mail the fan the ball.

CHRIS SZAGOLA / AP A foul ball that was hit into the stands sits on the ground of an empty stadium during a July 26 game between the Marlins and Phillies in Philadelphia.