Anyone who’s ever sat through a baseball game knows that the match itself is probably the least important thing going on in the stadium. If baseball was really about waiting 10 minutes for a paunchy batter to swing like an axe murderer, completely miss, and stomp off the field, literally no one would bother turning up. It’s impossible to overstate just how much the spectacle is enhanced by both the potential for onfield fighting and alcohol, the latter of which is quite rightly seen by most as utterly indispensable.

This hierarchy was highlighted this week by one heroic fan who, in the ultimate act of alcohol-driven self-sacrifice, proved just how far baseball spectators will go in order to view the game through a beer-induced haze.

Watch his incredible effort below:

[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/YZ3sLzs3-Q0L14jDU.mp4||YZ3sLzs3]]

Instead of attempting to catch a ball struck high into the crowd, a Washington Nationals supporter - later identified as one Jeff Adams - elected to put beer above personal safety, wearing the shot straight in the gut, rather than risk spilling either one of the two Bud Lights he was holding.

As the crowd drew breath, Adams staggered back. But, despite the blow, the beer remained intact. For this fan at least, the next few hours would remain bearable.

Twitter user Corbet Sandvick commented on Adam's efforts, saying: "Catch a World Series home run or drop a beer? I think this guy has his priorities straight."

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/lukezim/status/1188615826305409025]]

The incident, which occurred at the start of the second innings, soon had viewers around the world hailing the Nationals supporter as a baseball luminary. Twitter was almost immediately awash with networks and individuals alike hailing him for his refusal to flinch in the face of adversity.

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/VictoriaSanchez/status/1188633564541259777]]

Fox Sports dubbed him a “legend”, whilst an intrepid ABC reporter plunged into the crowd to grab an exclusive interview. Very rarely has a man being hit by a ball captured the zeitgeist so effectively.

Watch as a Minnesotan catches a baseball, chugs a beer, and becomes a viral legend:

[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/5gaurmR4-dkXnENEs.mp4||5gaurmR4]]

In his interview with ABC’s Victoria Sanchez, Adams was surprisingly humble. Instead of puffing out his chest, he simply credited his “lucky 15-year-old-hat” for the ball not ending up in his beer.

Baseball fan takes home run to the gut in order to save beers