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This foul-ball-that-wasn’t is the strangest baseball highlight of the season

It looked like a routine foul ball, until it took an unexpected turn. 
Dan Gartland|
This foul-ball-that-wasn’t is the strangest baseball highlight of the season
This foul-ball-that-wasn’t is the strangest baseball highlight of the season

One of the cool things about baseball is how a play you’ve seen a million times can suddenly turn into something really spectacular. 

During Thursday’s Triple A game between the Las Vegas 51s and El Paso Chihuahuas, Eric Campbell fouled off a 2–2 pitch to stay alive. At least, that’s what it looked like. 

Improbably, the ball spun into fair territory, where the first baseman picked it up and stepped on the bag. The video makes it a little tough to see just how far foul the ball went, but the announcer says it was closer to the dugout than the foul line. 

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This sort of thing has happened a few times before, of course, including twice in the span of a month last season. But I’ve never seen a ball go that far into foul territory before rolling fair. 

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Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland writes Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, and is the host of the “Stadium Wonders” video series. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

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