June 24--Multitasking Cubs fan Keith Hartley managed to snag a foul ball while bottle-feeding his infant son during the second inning of Tuesday's game at Wrigley Field.
Hartley, a 29-year-old Andersonville resident, was sitting in a box seat down the first base line when Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel hit a pop fly right to him and his 7-month-old son, Isaac.
"I'm just trying to protect him first," Hartley said. "We have the seating configuration so my two friends were closer to the ball if a sharp foul ball came. We'd all kind of stand up and make a wall.
"This one was a little easier, a pop fly. Just kind of a reaction. It just came to me."
Was he freaking out with his baby in tow?
"No, baseball is not a new thing to me," he said. "I didn't want to hit the ledge and hit (first baseman Adrian Gonzalez). I wanted to make first contact, I think."
Keith's wife, Kari Hartley admitted she was "a little bit nervous" when she saw what was unfolding.
"I was a little bit scared that he was going to drop him," she said. "Fortunately he held on tight to both the ball and Isaac."
Gonzalez had a play on the ball, but Hartley nabbed it before Gonzalez could attempt a catch.
"He didn't say anything," Hartley said. "I think I turned around too quickly for him to interact with me. Hopefully he's not too angry. He is on my fantasy team."
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly protested and asked for a replay review. Fans throughout the ballpark howled when the replay was shown from several angles on the left field video board.
Fan interference was ruled after the replay, ending the Cubs' inning.
Hartley, who works for a financial firm, said his Twitter was "going insane" and he had 15 emails in the first 10 minutes after the catch. He never caught a ball before during a game.
Isaac, donning a Blackhawks cap, had no comment because he doesn't talk yet.
