Sitting in the front row of the outfield bleachers at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark, Caleb Lloyd caught consecutive home runs hit by Mike Leake and Zack Cozart of the Reds.
Backstory: Lloyd, who plays soccer at Thomas More College in his native Cincinnati, had not planned to attend the Reds game against Atlanta on May 21. But a friend and the friend’s uncle dragged him along for an evening in the Great American Ballpark bleachers.
Sitting in the first row, he managed to make a bare-hand play on Mike Leake’s drive to left field. That really smarted, so he was grateful when the next batter up, Zack Cozart hit a home run that bounced a little behind him and right into his lap.
In a show of generosity, he gave the ball hit by Cozart to his friend’s uncle, who had had paid for his ticket. The other ball he gave to Leake, a pitcher, whose home run was his first in the majors. The next night, the Reds made Lloyd the team’s honorary captain and had him deliver Cincinnati’s lineup to the umpires.
