A man returned a home run ball to 11-year-old Evelyn Moore after initially snatching it away during a Guardians game. Her mother is now asking social media users to stop criticizing him.
Key points
Evelyn Moore is an 11-year-old Guardians fan.
A man initially took a home run ball from her.
He later returned the ball to Evelyn.
Evelyn's mother is asking for kindness towards the man.
The incident occurred during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Mentioned in this story
New PhiladelphiaOhio
Daniel SchneemannCleveland GuardiansTampa Bay Rays
Guardians fan Evelyn Moore got a pretty cool souvenir from Monday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays — a two-run home run ball hit by Cleveland second baseman Daniel Schneemann.
The 11-year-old softball player from New Philadelphia, Ohio, almost got the ball right after Schneemann hit it in the bottom of the fifth inning.
But, as seen in video footage that quickly went viral on social media, a man appeared to snatch it away as Evelyn was trying to pick it up near the rail in the left-center field stands at Progressive Field.
He eventually gave it to her, however, and now the girl's mother wants folks on social media to leave him alone.
"This man's life shouldn't be ruined over this," Nikki Moore-DeVore said. "Jokes and memes are one thing, but it's getting excessive. It's too much."
Moore-DeVore said her family — which also includes her husband, Jon DeVore, and her son, Theo Moore, 9 — attend several Guardians games a year. They sit in the outfield stands, where Evelyn — an avid baseball fan and baseball card collector — likes to take her glove down to the rail and try to persuade Cleveland outfielders to toss her a ball.
Video of Schneemann's home run shows the ball flying over the left-center field wall, where a bearded man wearing a throwback Cleveland Indians hat and T-shirt tried to catch it in the air. Instead, it bounced off his hands toward the rail to his left.
Q&A
What happened to the home run ball at the Guardians game?
During a Guardians game, a man initially took a home run ball from Evelyn Moore but later returned it to her.
Who is Evelyn Moore and where is she from?
Evelyn Moore is an 11-year-old softball player from New Philadelphia, Ohio.
Why does Evelyn's mother want social media to leave the man alone?
Evelyn's mother is asking people on social media to stop criticizing the man who took the ball initially, as he eventually gave it back.
Which player hit the home run ball that Evelyn caught?
The home run ball was hit by Cleveland Guardians second baseman Daniel Schneemann.
Related Articles
Sports
Isi, sancionado con siete partidos: "Estoy muy jodido, no nos tratan a todos por igual"
Marca·
MLB·Recap
What's next for the Philadelphia Phillies?
Phillies fire manager Rob Thomson; Don Mattingly steps in as interim.
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Sports·Preview
2026 NCAA Division I women's golf regionals full fields, seeds announced
Full fields and seeds for the 2026 NCAA women's golf regionals revealed!
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
MLB
Royals fans shouldn't panic amid poor record thanks to AL Central reason
Royals fans shouldn't panic despite a 12-17 record thanks to weak AL Central
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Soccer·Preview
PREVIEW | Leeds United vs Burnley: team news, lineups, predictions (Premier League 01/05)
Leeds United takes on Burnley in a crucial Premier League clash on May 1.
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Soccer·Recap
Tottenham Hotspur Women 0 – 0 Manchester United: dominant Spurs held goalless
Tottenham Hotspur Women held to a goalless draw against Manchester United.
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
Two baseball players wearing batting helmets smile and bump hands
Cleveland Guardians' Daniel Schneemann, right, is greeted at the plate by teammate David Fry after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday in Cleveland. (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
Evelyn ran down from her seat two rows up, dropped to the ground and attempted to secure the ball in front of her. The man ran over and also dropped to the ground next to her, starting a brief struggle for control of the ball.
The man eventually emerged triumphantly.
"I did not really see how the ball came over to us. I just saw it bounce in our direction and my daughter go down to get it," Moore-DeVore said. "And I saw the scuffle kind of from behind, but I couldn't see much of the hands or anything like that. I just saw the shoulders shifting around.
"And then she got up empty-handed, and people started booing. The guys sitting in front of me were like, ‘That was her ball!’ My husband was booing. He was not happy, but we didn't want to ruin the game."
Evelyn also was upset by the turn of events, her mother said, "but she didn't cry."
"She actually took it like a champ," Moore-DeVore said. "Every inning, she still went up to the rail to try to get one of the players to throw a ball to her. She didn't give up."
Meanwhile, Theo approached the man to request he return the ball to his sister. Moore-DeVore said her son told her the man politely refused.
"I was just proud of him for going over there and taking it upon himself to try to help his sister,” Moore-DeVore said.
The Rays broadcast of the game showed the incident involving Evelyn and the man, with the announcers taking the girl's side. On social media, fans shared the video and shamed the man for his behavior, with some looking to make his identity public.
Later in the game, Rays sideline reporter Ryan Bass visited the family at their seats and presented both kids with baseballs.
That's when Evelyn became emotional.
"She cried happy tears," her mother said. "I think she just felt seen. The incident made her feel small, and Ryan made her feel seen.”
"We had to make it right," Bass wrote, adding in a separate post: "We got the chance to make a sweet little girl’s night. There’s nothing better. Kindness is free. Always remember that."
Before the bottom of the eighth inning, Evelyn went down to her usual post at the rail to try to persuade an outfielder to toss her a ball. She returned with the home run ball from three innings earlier.
“She came back with the biggest smile on her face: 'Mom, he gave it back to me!’" Moore-DeVore said. "The guys in front of me were like, 'yeah, he's, like, getting a lot of social media flack.' ... I'm sure he realized eventually that it was probably the wrong action to take, just not good etiquette.”
In return, Moore-DeVore said, Theo offered the man — whose name has not been revealed despite the internet's attempts — one of the balls that Bass had given him and his sister.
"He respectfully declined," she said, "so my son gave it to another kid."
Moore-DeVore said both of her kids are "on cloud nine" over how everything turned out — and she wants everyone else to get over it as well.
“I don't want this one moment to ruin this guy," she said. "And my kids, they wouldn't want that. They're sweet kids. I feel like, if kids their age can forgive and offer him a peace offering, grown adults and other fans can, too.”
