'Baby First': Dad Snatches Foul Ball While Feeding Baby At Reds Game

CINCINNATI — Major League Baseball's catch of the year may not even be by a player.

Video that is making the rounds on social media shows a dad snatching a foul ball out of the air with his bare hand at Great American Ball Park as he feeds his baby.

Jacob Kingsley was sitting with his wife, Jordan, and feeding their son Shepherd when San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano fouled off a pitch from Reds pitcher Jeff Hoffman. Video posted on Twitter by the team showed the ball bounce high into the air and into the stands, where Kingsley reaches up and grabs the ball as he feeds the baby a bottle with the other hand.

Catching a foul ball while bottle-feeding the baby... just dad things. pic.twitter.com/tTXL0oDquu
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 27, 2022

The triumphant Jacob Kingsley then holds the ball high above his head to cheers from the crowd — and his wife.

"All game, I'd been like 'Watch those balls,' because if he gets hit ... and he took the job seriously," Jordan Kingsley told Bally Sports Cincinnati from the stands during the game. "Baby's happy. I'm happy. And I'm just impressed. I'm like, 'Who is this man?"

Jacob Kinglsey told WLW other foul balls had been hit in their direction before the fateful pitch, and that he had hyped up his own catching abilities to protect their son.

Eventually, a foul ball comes their way. He immediately thought he'd need to shield his son. The ball bounced, and comes right for the family.

"And I catch it, and she was just kind of like, 'What just happened?'"

Jordan Kingsley said her phone immediately exploded with calls and text messages.

"It was like the coolest thing ever, that's ever happened to us," Jordan Kingsley said. "So it was a lot of fun and our family was really excited."

Jacob Kingsley told the broadcast team he saw the ball pop up off the bat and wanted to keep his son happy while also protecting the boy.

"Reached a hand up, had some fierce competition, but it ended up happening great," Kingsley said. "Baby first!"

Kingsley added: "He probably didn't even know what was happening, but this will be a great memory to share with him."

The game happened to be Shepherd's first, so the family got a certificate.

For Jacob Kingsley, the now-famous catch means he gets bragging rights over his college buddies. Jordan has also given him a new nickname: Superstar.