The adult Cleveland Guardians fan who ripped a home run ball away from an 11-year-old girl during Monday’s game acknowledged it was a “bad decision” as he faces a wave of online backlash.
Max Quinn said it was a “heat-of-the-moment thing” while discussing his actions during the bottom of the fifth inning after the Guardians’ Daniel Schneemann hit a two-run home run to right field at Progressive Field on Monday.
“I’m so utterly sorry for everything that’s transpired,” Quinn told WJW on Wednesday. “I made a bad decision; a lot of bad decisions. I’m paying for it online.”
The viral video — which was captured by the Rays broadcast — showed Quinn bobbling the home run catch before the souvenir landed near a young girl, Evelyn, who was coming down the steps to try and get the ball, only for Quinn to run over and snatch it away.
Quinn insisted he “didn’t realize it was a little girl” at the time, saying all he could see was an outstretched glove going for the ball.
The 11-year-old’s younger brother approached Quinn and asked for the ball back — a request Quinn flatly refused.
“I made a lot of mistakes that night,” he said.
The Cleveland Guardians fan said he didn’t realize the severity of what he had done until he got back to his seat.
“I heard it from the fans and the people. … I was sitting there, and I’m like, ‘I won’t be able to sleep at night if I don’t give this ball back,’” he told the outlet.
Quinn eventually returned the ball to Evelyn after realizing his blunder, but acknowledged he should have done so immediately.
“I didn’t do it in a timely fashion. I didn’t do it in the right way. If I could do it all over again, I would have just grabbed it, given it to her and been done with it,” he said.
The fallout, however, didn’t end with the ball being returned.
Quinn’s store, Uncover Vintage in Lakewood, was bombarded with 1-star Google reviews following the incident, which were later removed, and he was forced to delete his social media accounts because of threats and harassment he’s received, WJW reported.
“It’s been a rough 24 hours — 36 hours,” he said. “I’ve also learned the internet is a very mean, scary place. A lot of people have said a lot of really mean things.”
Quinn said he’s “tried to block it out and get away from it,” but people are still finding ways to contact him.
While the incident set off a firestorm online, Evelyn said she forgives him for the mistake.
Appearing in a recorded video shown to him during his interview with WJW, Evelyn thanked him for giving the ball back and hoped others would follow her lead.
“Hi Max, thanks for giving us the ball back. We forgive you for it,” Evelyn said. “We know the internet has been going wild over this. We hope they forgive you.”
Evelyn’s mom Nikki DeVore appeared on a local radio show earlier Wednesday, where she also said they have “no ill feelings” towards Quinn and pleaded with others to stop harassing him over his mistake, WJW reported.
Rays reporter Ryan Bass delivered baseballs to Evelyn and her brother after the Tampa Bay broadcasters witnessed the now-infamous moment.
“Cleveland Mom Here,” DeVore wrote in a separate post on the Tampa Bay Rays Fan Club Facebook page. “You all watched the man steal the ball from my daughter. You know my son went to ask him for the ball, which was so brave. I just have to say thank you to Tampa for broadcasting it, when the Cleveland broadcast cut to puppies rather than show the man stealing the ball from a child.
“I cannot thank [Rays reporter] Ryan [Bass] and Tampa enough for making things right. Thank you all for looking out for ALL young baseball fans. It is top notch sportsmanship. My daughter and I cried happy tears. I am so proud of my kids for how they handled tonight, and so proud of Tampa and its fans for standing up for my child.
“The pressure resulted in the man giving her the home run ball back 4-5 innings later towards the end of the game. It wasn’t the same, but we appreciated him doing the right thing… I may be Ohio Grown and forever Cleveland (Jose!!!!) but I will be a Tampa fan on principle alone.”
