YES Network broadcaster (and retired New York Yankees superstar) Paul O'Neill found himself ducking to avoid a foul ball that found its way into the booth during Saturday's game in the Bronx against Tampa Bay.
It happened in the top of the first with one out, nobody on and the game still scoreless. On the 1-2 pitch, Rays batter Isaac Paredes hit a foul popup behind home plate and above the netting. As Michael Kay gave the play-by-play of the ball heading towards the booth, O'Neill scrambled to get out of the way. An angle of the play from the back of the booth shows the ball bouncing on the desk where O'Neill was sitting and hitting the back wall of the booth.
Michael Kay is upset that Paul O'Neill didn't try to protect him 😂 pic.twitter.com/DV0ehSayrt
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 20, 2024
Kay gave O'Neill a hard time for not trying to catch the ball, leading to a humorous exchange between them. We have seen some impressive foul ball catches by fans at MLB games, but O'Neill just wasn't prepared to make one today.
As for the game, the Yankees lost to the Rays 9-1.