A fan came to the rescue Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field when Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick needed some assistance.
In the top of the sixth inning, Frelick swung hard at 1-0 offering from Chicago Cubs righthander Chris Flexen, and his bat soared into the netting behind home plate. A fan, sitting in the front row wearing khaki pants and a polo shirt, didn't waste a moment. He climbed onto the netting and quickly grabbed the bat.
The security team at Wrigley Field didn't like it. After the fan came down with the bat, Wrigley Field security spoke with him and appeared to plan to eject him from the game. But after a few minutes, the fan was allowed back into his seat, receiving a stirring applause from the other 41,077 fans in Chicago.
Cubs fan saw the opportunity for a souvenir and went for it pic.twitter.com/6f2GfnNSOC
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 19, 2025
The fan didn't get to keep the bat, but according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Curt Hogg, Frelick gave him a game-used bat signed with the message, "Nice climb."
Net Guy update — Sal Frelick signed and gave the fan, who didn’t get to keep the bat initially, a piece of game-used lumber after the game.
— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) June 19, 2025
Inscription: “Nice climb!” https://t.co/9PyT4kIrfV pic.twitter.com/HuDHtFQt9e
The Cubs, who trailed 8-3 at the time of the fan's heroics in the netting, stormed back to make it a one-run game in the eight inning, but fell 8-7. The Cubs and Brewers are now separated by 5.5 games in the NL Central standings.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wrigley Field Gives Fan Rousing Applause for Snagging Sal Frelick's Bat Stuck in Netting.
