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Infamous Ball Hawk Zack Hample Booed In Florida While Admiring Controversial HR Snag

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Zach Hample attends a minor league baseball game.

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Infamous ball hawk Zack Hample made his first headline of the 2025 MLB season on Tuesday with a controversial home run snag during a game between the Rays and Angels.

The catch came on a two-run homer off the bat of Los Angeles second baseman Kyren Paris. Hample appeared to reach over the outstretched arm of Tampa outfielder Christopher Morel on that effort.

That home run would prove to be the difference in a one-run ball game. The Rays lost, 4-3, to drop their fifth straight contest of the season.

Zack Hample is well-known in MLB circles, though he’s not exactly well-liked. The “Foul Ball Guy” has snatched up more than 12,000 baseballs at professional games, some of which are very valuable. He hauled in Alex Rodriguez’s 3,000th hit, as well as Mike Trout’s first home run.

He was NOT able to catch Aaron Judge’s 61st home run of the 2024 season, much to the delight of MLB followers. Hample’s antics have made him rather dislikeable to a number of fellow fans.

He’s gone viral in the past for buying his way into a game reserved for military members and family. He’s been booed mercilessly in similar home run swiping situations. He’s been accused of stealing baseballs from children. He will do seemingly anything to get his hands on a game ball.

That was again the case on Tuesday, and the home crowd was furious.

Zack Hample robbed a Rays outfielder of a spectacular catch.

Hample, who’s been to countless ballparks throughout the country, teased his attendance at George M. Steinbrenner Field last week. With Tampa’s Tropicana Field still under repair, the Yankees’ spring training facility is temporarily housing the Rays.

 

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The YouTuber made his presence felt almost immediately in his latest appearance. Zack Hample’s home run snag came in the top of the first inning.

Kyren Paris’s two-run homer sailed just past the outstretched glove of Christopher Morel. Maybe he catches it without Hample in the way. Maybe not. We’ll never know thanks to the controversial snag.

Technically, Hample broke no MLB rule. He didn’t extend beyond the fence to interfere with the play. The home run was upheld after a brief review. It didn’t matter to Rays fans.

Zack Hample was booed by the home crowd as he rewatched the replay of his catch on the big screen. He didn’t win any friends over in Tampa this week! These were likely the first of many feathers he’ll ruffle over the next six months.