The fan that threw a full beer can onto the turf at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Tuesday night, barely missing the head of unsuspecting Orioles left fielder Hyun Soo Kim, has become an international mystery.
The fan's ill-conceived throw has prompted apologies from Canadians, pleas from police and angst from Orioles players and fans in the hours following the Blue Jays' 3-2, extra-inning win against the Orioles in the single-elimination play-in game.
Toronto Police on Wednesday said on Twitter that they are asking the fan who threw a beer can at Kim as he tried to field a fly ball in Tuesday's wild-card game to turn themselves in. In the tweet, police said they're investigating the "unsportsmanlike fan," saying they have photographs of the fan, and asked the fan to "turn yourself in."
Kim was in deep left field, on the warning track before the wall, and lined up underneath a fly ball from Melvin Upton on Tuesday night when the projectile landed at his feet, nearly missing his head, while the ball landed cleanly in his glove for the third out of the seventh inning.
An enhanced image of the can revealed it was a silver and blue can with a Blue Jays logo.
Center fielder Adam Jones ran over, shouting up at the fans in the sections elevated above the outfield wall.
"That's a full beer that's being thrown and that's just not part of the sport, man," Jones said after the game. "Like I said, call us what you want ... to put us in harm's way, man, all we're trying to do is focus on the game and that's not part of baseball."
Buck Showalter ran out of the dugout into left field to check if Kim was OK.
"I don't like it. Nobody likes it. I'm sure the Toronto Blue Jays don't like it," Showalter said.
It wasn't immediately clear if a fan was ejected.
Emails to The Sun newsroom Wednesday morning from people identifying themselves as Blue Jays fans or Canadian residents were apologetic toward the Orioles organization and fans.
One fan wrote: "Out of 50,000 fans it only took one to ruin the mood and enjoyment of this great game. No player should have to be concerned with objects being thrown at them while engaged in playing any sport. This was a no class gesture and it reflects badly on an otherwise great City with passionate fans."
The Toronto Sun is now offering a $1,000 reward for "information that leads to the arrest of the witless woman who appears to be responsible."
The Toronto paper referred to the thrower as "a beer-tossing boob."
"We'd be very interested in talking to anyone who can identify the 'loon ball,' as our Mayor suggests, who chucked a beer can onto the ball field and gave our city a nasty black eye," said The Sun's editorial vice president James Wallace.
There's also a GoFundMe campaign underway with a $1,010 goal.
