A Reds fan held his son over the Busch Stadium railings to catch a baseball. We have seen many fans chase after baseball and fight for it with other fans, but we have never seen this before. This happened during the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals game on June 7.

“That dude’s gonna sacrifice his son.” That’s what the Reds broadcaster said after seeing the father holding his son over the railings to get the ball.

A routine afternoon at Busch Stadium turned into an uncomfortable moment for fans on Sunday. During the series finale between the Cardinals and Reds, a baseball was stuck near an LED board just below the seating railing.

Rather than leave it there, the Reds fan tried an unusual method to get the ball. He held his son by the feet and lowered him toward the baseball, over the railings. The child reached toward the ball while holding the LED board for support. The video from the scene showed the baseball sitting only a few feet away.

Several fans watched as the attempt unfolded, with many appearing concerned about the risk involved. Before the child could reach the souvenir, another fan rushed over to intervene and stop him. The fan grabbed the father’s arm and stopped the drama before something serious happened. Despite coming close, the father-son duo never managed to get the ball. The father appeared frustrated after he was stopped.

That outcome mirrored how the afternoon unfolded for Cincinnati on the field, so close yet so far.

The Reds entered the later innings holding a one-run advantage before defensive mistakes changed the game. St. Louis took full advantage of 2 key errors and rallied for a 5-3 win. Just like the baseball remained out of reach in the stands, the Reds left Busch Stadium without the result they wanted.

Baseball fans are not happy with the Reds fan dangling his son over the railing.

After this incident went viral, fans all over the world started to share their opinions on how dangerous this stunt was and how it could have ended badly.

“That’s a lawsuit ready to happen, and we’ve seen too many fans fall off the ledge at games,” posted one fan. Another fan commented, “What a dumba– dad.” They are not happy with this because they saw in 2025 what a fall from this height could do.

During a Pirates-Cubs game, 20-year-old Kavan Markwood fell from around 21 feet onto the warning track. This happened while he was celebrating the Pirates’ rally in the 7th inning. After being taken to the hospital, it was revealed that he suffered a broken neck, broken back, fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and other severe injuries. That was a 20-year-old, with this kid being even younger; things could have gotten even worse.

“That usher did his job and saved that kid’s life, had dad dropped him. We have seen what can happen if you reach for a ball too close to the ledge, and it’s not pretty,” said a fan who has seen this scene before. Back in 2011, 39-year-old firefighter Shannon Stone attended a game between the Rangers and Athletics. He lost his balance and fell roughly 20 feet over the outfield railing onto concrete.

Stone’s injuries were so severe he passed away in the hospital shortly after.

“Feeling sad for the kid,” wrote one fan as another said, “Can you imagine if dude dropped him head first and mom was watching at home.”

A year earlier, in 2010, firefighter Tyler Morris fell 30 feet from the 2nd deck at Rangers Park trying to catch a foul. He suffered serious injuries, including a skull fracture, but survived the fall.

Thankfully, here, the father didn’t lose his balance, or we would have seen a completely different scene, and it wouldn’t have been a good one.