DETROIT — With family and friends watching and playing in the city where his mother was raised and he lived briefly, Mariners utility player Sam Haggerty nearly made one of the top catches of the year. And even his failed attempt was noteworthy enough to talk to him, though he didn’t think so.
“I didn’t make the catch,” he said.
True.
But in the seventh inning with his team leading 6-0, the speedy Haggerty, who’s become a Mariners cult hero, added to his legend when Harold Castro lifted a pop fly in foul territory in left field.
Getting the start on Thursday afternoon, Haggerty sprinted for the ball, showcasing his speed and typical reckless abandon for his body and safety.
“You can’t play any other way,” he said. “You can’t play afraid. You play to win and make a play and enjoy the ride.”
Oh, it was a ride.
With the ball heading for the row of seats in foul territory, Haggerty didn’t slow down. Instead, he flung himself headfirst toward the stands and the protective netting that now lines that area in all fields.
“Worst-case scenario I just fly into the net, and it catches me,” he said. “I didn’t think much bad could happen.”
As he hit the net, Haggerty appeared to catch the ball. His momentum caused the net to bend and then sling shot him back toward he field. He hung on for a second but then fell back onto the warning track, and the ball squirted out of his glove.
“I figured the net would catch me,” he said. “Once I kind of stuck on the net. It was like I’m all right, let’s just fall backward. I tried to slow everything down. I felt like I caught it, then I was on the net and then I thought it’s going to ricochet and hold me back. When I hit the ground, I tried to show the ball and it squirted out. It’s unfortunate. I wish I would’ve made the catch.”
On the field, umpires ruled it a catch believing he held onto to it long enough. But a replay showed the ball touching the net just before it went into his glove, and it was a ruled a foul ball.
It still earned him the respect in the Mariners clubhouse.
“How about the play with Sam Haggerty jumping into the net?” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “That was crazy. It was like a kid on a jungle gym, just jumping up and down. That’s how he plays and that’s why he’s fun to watch. If the net wasn’t there, he’d be dead right now.”