Baseball fans were stunned during Game 5 of the World Series Sunday night when an Astros fan shockingly ripped the ball — hit by Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig in the 9th inning — out of a woman’s hand to throw it back onto the field.
Even more shocking, that wasn’t just any home run ball: It’s the one that set the record for most homers hit in a World Series.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the man, and the woman who he yanked the ball from, are in-laws.
“I just would have liked to have been able to throw it back myself,” Sarah Head told the newspaper.
“It’s bad karma to keep it,” Kirk Head, who grabbed the ball, said. “You’ve got to throw it back. I was just making sure she did.”
However, many of those watching the historic game on TV were appalled by the act.
“Dang that Astros fan who ripped the home run ball away from that lady is a jerk,” one viewer tweeted.
Dang that Astros fan who ripped the home run ball away from that lady is a jerk
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) October 30, 2017
“Moron Astros fan threw back a historic home run ball in the World Series because it was hit by a Dodger,” wrote another.
Moron Astros fan threw back a historic home run ball in the World Series because it was hit by a Dodger. It was the ball setting the record for most homers in a Series.
— Mr. R (@MisterRedlegs) October 30, 2017
For what it’s worth, Kirk’s reasoning seemed to have worked: The Astros pulled out the win in a nail-biter 13-12 extra-inning game. The Astros now lead the series 3-2.