A wild scene in the stands at Wrigley Field has turned one Chicago Cubs fan into the internet’s newest baseball villain.
During Sunday’s Cubs-Cardinals game, a fan was caught on video appearing to shove a young woman out of the way while scrambling for a home run ball.
The incident happened in the bottom of the third inning after Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong blasted a home run to right field, bringing James Triantos home and cutting the St. Louis lead to 3-2.
As the ball landed in the stands, a young woman could be seen bending down in her row to grab it.
Then things got ugly.
A man wearing a Kenny Lofton jersey, standing behind her, appeared to realize where the ball had landed and reached toward her before yanking her backward as he went after the souvenir.
The woman flailed backward and appeared to fall to the ground.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
The clip spread rapidly across social media, where baseball fans blasted the man’s behavior.
“Putting your hands on a girl over a ball in the stands is peak loser behavior,” one user wrote while sharing the video.
Another viewer said they were “absolutely appalled” by what happened.
Others were even more heated.
One fan said they would have slapped the man regardless of whether the woman was their own child.
Another commenter questioned how anyone could care so much about getting a baseball that they would put their hands on another person.
The incident also reignited the usual Cubs-Cardinals rivalry trash talk, with some Cardinals supporters using the moment to take shots at Chicago fans.
One commenter wrote, “Cubs fans gonna Cubs fan…”
Another simply described the behavior as “rabid.”
It remains unclear whether the man actually ended up getting Crow-Armstrong’s home run ball.
What is clear is that the moment overshadowed much of the action on the field.
Despite Crow-Armstrong’s homer briefly giving Chicago some life, the Cubs were eventually blown out by the Cardinals 11-4 in the rubber match of the three-game series.
The loss dropped Chicago to 72-53, though the Cubs remained in first place in the National League Wild Card race.
They were still five games ahead of the Phillies and Padres, with those teams battling alongside the Diamondbacks for the remaining playoff spots.
Chicago now turns its attention to the White Sox, who come to Wrigley Field for a three-game series beginning Monday.
But for many fans, the lasting image from Sunday won’t be the final score.
It’ll be the ugly scramble in the stands over one baseball.
Bat him in the head!