How To Catch A Baseball At A Major League Game

11:02

March 30, 2012

Your chances of snagging a baseball at a Major League Game are a lot better than your odds of winning the $540 million dollar Mega Millions.

The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that your odds of catching a ball are about one in 776.

Author Zack Hample has gone to extraordinary lengths to increase those odds for himself-- and he's caught nearly 6,000 baseballs so far.

"The key to catching a batted ball is to have some mobility. You want to be able to jump up and run left and right," Hample says.

He says that his strategy varies depending on the ballpark.

Hample says Fenway Park is really tough because it is so cramped and crowded, making mobility more difficult. But he has some pointers.

Hample's Advice For Catching At Fenway Park

"If you can grab a seat along the foul line down the third base line, there's a spot where the wall's really low and juts out toward the foul line... You might have to compete with the ball girl, but there's a lot of balls that end up right there."
"The best place to catch a home run is actually outside the stadium. If you hang out on the roof of the parking garage across the street, behind the Green Monster on Lansdowne Street, a lot of balls fly out there during batting practice and during the games as well."

Zack Hample, author of "The Baseball: Stunts, Scandals and Secrets Beneath The Stiches"

This segment aired on March 30, 2012.