Taking home a souvenir foul ball took a backseat to kindness for a 12-year-old boy at a Boston Red Sox game on Friday night.
During Boston's 9-8 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park, a batter bounced a foul ball down the third-base line that was snatched up by the ball girl, who handed the ball to a boy who later identified himself as Ryan, 12. Ryan immediately turned around and handed the ball to a little girl behind him.
The selfless exchange was caught by the TV cameras for NESN, Boston's home network. The girl's appreciative mother can be seen mouthing, "Thank you so much" after Ryan hands the ball to her beaming daughter.
"I think that's one of the nicest things I've seen at the ballpark all year,'' Red Sox announcer Jerry Remy said during the broadcast.
Remy and play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo were so impressed themselves that they sent NESN sideline reporter Gary Striewski into the stands to interview Ryan and present him with two souvenir baseballs and a bag of other Red Sox paraphernalia. He promptly turned around and gave the little girl, Reese, a Red Sox bracelet out of the bag.
"I've seen people do it before, and I thought it's a nice thing, and it's good to make people happy,'' Ryan told Striewski.