MLB pitcher calls out adult fan for jostling with kids for star autographs

A baseball fan who went viral for all the wrong reasons has been called out by none other than Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman.

In the video, that was shared far and wide on Tuesday, a man in a San Diego Padres hat is seen attempting to get his baseball signed by Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander. While that might not seem such a bad thing, the trouble is that he is jostling with children in an effort to get the autograph.

Gausman has clearly had enough of such antics and shared the footage with the caption:

“Honestly this is nothing new, grown men pushing kids for balls, taking foul balls from kids, taking the ball they knew damn well we were tossing to a kid. Be better people."

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Gausman should be applauded for speaking out against such nonsense. One can’t help the feeling the adult probably wants the autographed ball to sell on rather than as a memento that he’ll treasure forever in the way a child would. Even if he does want the ball for himself, pushing children out the way is the kind of George Costanza type behaviour that is unacceptable in polite society.

As a Major League Baseball pitcher, Gausman is in the perfect position to try and initiate change. Not everything need be about adult satisfaction or selling things on at a profit. If you find yourself battling with kids for the attention of professional athletes at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game then it’s probably time to rethink your priorities.

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