Steve Bartman bio
Steve Bartman is an American baseball fan who gained international attention on the evening of October 14, 2003, for attempting to catch a foul ball in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Florida Marlins at Wrigley Field.
Steve Bartman Biography
Bartman grew up in Northbrook, Illinois. His home was located right next to a baseball field, where his father used to hit balls for Bartman and his friends to field. Bartman attended Notre Dame High School for Boys in Niles, Illinois and played varsity baseball while also participating in theater and community service. He graduated high school in 1995, then went on to the University of Notre Dame. At the time of the incident, he was 26 years old and working at a human resources and consulting firm.
Outside of work, Bartman served as a part-time coach for the Renegades, a team for 13 and 14 year olds based in Niles, Illinois. Bartman had played for the Renegades in 1992, when the team went 47-10 and won the Palatine League championship. He was also an avid Cubs fan; in the past, he had traveled to Mesa, Arizona to view the Cubs’ spring training.
Foul ball incident
At the time of the incident, Mark Prior was pitching a three-hit shutout for the Chicago Cubs in the eighth inning. For the Marlins, Luis Castillo was batting, with one out and Juan Pierre standing on second base. The Chicago Cubs were leading the game 3-0, leading the series three games to two, and were five outs away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 1945 and attempting to win it for the first time since 1908.
Bartman was sitting in the front row along the left field corner wall behind the bullpen when a pop foul off the bat of Castillo drifted toward his seat. Cubs left fielder Moisés Alou ran over to attempt a catch, reaching up into the seating area, but Bartman, who was watching the ball and not the fielder (like a few other fans next to him), got to the ball first and appeared to knock it away from Alou. Alou slammed his glove down in frustration and was seen shouting in Bartman’s direction. The Cubs argued for an interference call, but umpire Mike Everitt ruled that there was no fan interference.
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