A NEW YORK YANKEES fan who threw back Freddie Freeman record World Series home run ball has declared he has “no regrets” over his actions.
Los Angeles Dodgers batsman Freeman, 35, hit a record-breaking sixth straight World Series home run from the plate as the New York Yankees won Game 4 to go take the Series into a Game 5.
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One lucky fan sitting in the outfield managed to catch that ball on Tuesday night, and was left with two choices.
The first, chuck the ball back and win over the Yankee Stadium in the process.
Or the second, keep the ball and potentially bag himself a huge $100,000 payday.
And life-long New Yorker, Marcus Kline, opted for the former.
Speaking to the New York Post, he said: “I have this ball and there’s pure instinct and adrenaline like, ‘What are we going to do to get the crowd back in it?’
“People are yelling, everyone is like anxious and all of a sudden I’m like — I was with my best buddy and business partner — if we threw this ball back we can get the crowd back into this.
“And there was a chant in the bleachers of ‘Throw it back! Throw it back!’
“You know the significance of the ball.
“But getting the Yankees back into this game was way more significant.”
Kilne then gave the ball to his friend, Scott Zemachson, before he hurled it back into the field.
The 51-year-old, who works in finance, remains convinced that his selfless act got the Yankees back into the game before they went on to win.
He added: “This is the turning point.
“The bats came alive after that.
“The stadium was electric, the air was re-inflated.
“It was fire, it was nuts.
“There were some people who came up later and mentioned the significance of that ball, the history and I’m like, ‘No regrets.’
“This is bigger than money.”
However, the Dodgers would take the World Series 4-1 in Game 5, shattering Yankees’ hearts of a monumental comeback.
Kilne stands in contrast to two other fans who interfered as Mookie Betts tried to catch a ball.
The fans were later ejected and called out by pros and fans alike, while they could face huge bans for their act after being banned for Game 5.
MLB All-Star starters 2024
American League
C: Adley Rutschman (Baltimore Orioles)
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)
2B: Marcus Semien (Texas Rangers)
3B: José Ramírez (Cleveland Guardians)
SS: Gunnar Henderson (Baltimore Orioles)
OF: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
OF: Steven Kwan (Cleveland Guardians)
OF: Juan Soto (New York Yankees)
DH: Yordan Alvarez (Houston Astros)
National League
C: William Contreras (Milwaukee Brewers)
1B: Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies)
2B: Ketel Marte (Arizona Diamondbacks)
3B: Alec Bohm (Philadelphia Phillies)
SS: Trea Turner (Philadelphia Phillies)
OF: Jurickson Profar (San Diego Padres)
OF: Teoscar Hernández (Los Angeles Dodgers)
OF: Christian Yelich (Milwaukee Brewers)
DH: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)