Why did this dude throw his glove on the field in World Series Game 2? An investigation

Throw it back, sure. But what is the “it,” exactly?

It’s never been an existential or philosophical question: you catch a home run ball, you throw it back. Such is rule. Such is baseball law, as the baseball gods intended it. This is the way.

There’s never been much confusion surrounding the ritual to “Throw It Back” — at least not until World Series Game 2, when one of the few fans in attendance grabbed a Will Smith home run and proceeded to throw “it” back to the field.

The “it” wasn’t the ball though, it was the fan’s glove.

In the words of Fox broadcaster Joe Buck (and Stone Cold Steve Austin): “…What?”

The man in the video was clearly remorseful for chucking the glove. Maybe he panicked. Maybe he just didn’t know what to do after catching a home run, and the pressure got to him. Maybe he’s one (or five) brewskis a bit too deep. Luckily for him, Randy Arozarena tossed the glove back up to him, the fan securing a second catch.

Let’s break it down:

• The fan snags the home run, pumps it up in jubilation;
• He pump fakes a few times, maybe unsure of his arm, maybe he’s just trying to get the secondary to bite to let his receiver get downfield (probably the former);
• Then, unexpectedly, he chucks his glove onto the field. Then he gestures wildly, like George Costanza trying to explain why he should be T-Bone.

Was it excitement? Confusion? Inebriation? Who will ever know for certain? Twitter detectives and analysts were on the scene, trying to solve the case of the displaced glove:

This man both made the catch, and tremendous content. But please don’t throw your glove on the field, folks.

No outfielders were harmed in the making of this post.

Source