Humans have achieved many great things in our short history. We've invented the automobile, figured out how to generate electricity from the sun, and invented platforms on the internet which enable anyone to make a decent living by posting pictures of themselves standing against nice-looking brick walls wearing off-the-shoulder dresses.
But while that's all well and good, there's another incredible human feat that took place recently which really needs to go down in history. No, seriously, everyone needs to know about this. Everyone needs to see this. Because a sports-loving dad who took his little baby to a baseball game recently became an instant hero when he managed to catch a home-run on one hand while holding the baby in the other. It was flawless, and luckily for us, it was recorded on film.
The historical sporting event took place at a Major League Baseball game between the hometown Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers. It all happened when Phillie's third baseman Maikel Franco took a magnificent swing which sent the ball soaring high into the air right into the right-field stands, where super-dad was seated. While Franco got his home run, it was the dad who really stole the show.
Behold:
In a beautifully executed move, the man managed to expertly catch the high-flung ball backhanded, fully out-stretched without a mitt and cradling a baby in arm: I swear it's enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes. This spectator's expression sums it up really:
The man appears to be seated in the stands next to his wife, and there's no knowing if she was just as flabbergasted as the rest of the spectators, or if she was quietly fuming that he dared risk the catch while holding (presumably) their baby. Still, the way he turns to block the baby from the incoming ball with his own body, and the stability with which he maintains his stance as he catches it – this guy clearly knows what he's doing.
Victorious, he accepts his home run catch with his fist raised in the air, brandishing the ball and gripping the oblivious baby with an expression that says plain and simple: "yep, I'm a really cool dad".
The people of the internet were just as excited by the catch. "I wanna be like this man when I grow up," one person wrote, while another called him a "legend".
Someone noted that "That baby’s gonna love this video his entire life!"
Another joked, "Disgraceful he robbed the ball from that baby no etiquette".
Well, we hope the family frames this moment in their household for them all to cherish. And when the baby is old enough to recognize the significance of the catch, the final jewel can be placed on the "Dad of the year" crown once and for all.
