Every single Houston Astros fan will be celebrating after their team won the World Series on Friday night with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6. It will be extra special for supporters that witnessed the historic game at Minute Maid Park, but for one particular lifelong fan, Saturday's occasion will prove to be one of the most unforgettable moments of his life.
This is the case for Astros fan Jim Rice, who was the lucky supporter who ended up catching Yordan Alvarez's sixth inning home run. Rice has been to his fair share of Houston games, so he was completely shocked when he realized that the ball was heading 30 feet above the warning track:
“I saw it coming right at me, but I thought there was no way a ball could carry over this wall; it’s way too high,” said Rice, slamming his hand on the concrete barrier in front of him that separates him from the batter's eye, via Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle. “I’ve watched a lot of games and I’ve never seen a ball carry up here.”
You have to say that there's a bit of poetic justice at play here in that it was a lifelong Astros fan that was able to get his hands on this historic ball. As soon as Rice saw the opportunity, he didn't hesitate for one bit:
“It rattled around back here,” Rice said pointing to a railing separating his row, which comes with a table in front of it, from the second row. “I saw a bunch of people coming, and I said I'm not going to just try to pick it up, I'm going to treat it like a fumble and cover it up. I dove on top of it and still wasn't sure if I was going to be able to come away with it.
“I've come to so many Astros games in my life, and I've never come away with a ball, not even a foul ball,” Rice said. “Now, I have a World Series home run. Hit by Yordan Alvarez. That might win the World Series. Incredible.”
Yes, it did. There's no denying that Jim Rice is one lucky Astros fan.