PHILADELPHIA — A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a World Series game turned into an even more unbelievable experience for two Phillies fans Tuesday night when they caught Bryce Harper’s first-inning home run ball.
“As soon as he hit it, we knew," said Andy Hartstein of Laurel, Delaware. "It was coming literally right at us.”
The father-son duo splurged on Game 3 tickets after a friend presented the opportunity.
“They said 'I know somebody who has four seats. You can have two of them. They were in Section 103, they were 11 rows back,'" explained Hartstein.
It turns out those seats were the golden tickets.
That's because they were the exact spot Bryce Harper’s two-run home run would land in the first inning.
“It was just so fun. When he hit the ball, I didn’t even think it was real," said Hartstein's son, Hudson. "I sat down and the ball came right up and I went to catch it and I didn’t think my dad would catch it when it hit off someone’s hands but he caught it right in his lap.
"I couldn’t have dropped that ball if I wanted to," said Andy Hartstein.
He admits he expected a wilder scene of other fans trying to grab the ball.
But he says instead, it was the exact opposite.
“People just embraced us, they threw their arms around us and cheered for us and they were genuinely as happy for us as we were to have caught the ball," said Hartstein.
It was one of many electric moments during what became a home run derby inside the south Philadelphia stadium.
“It’s intense, it’s insane and they feed off that," Hartstein said of the Phillies lineup. "It clearly affects the opposing team, it has in every round and I think it did for the Astros as well.”
The Phillies fanbase continues to ride an unbelievable postseason wave and Andy and Hudson said they’re just lucky to be a part of it.
“I think they’re going to win both their [remaining home] games," said Hudson.
"It’d be nice to end it here in Philly," added Andy. "It was a moment that’s hard to explain but something we won’t soon forget.”
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