A Cincinnati Reds fan who was torched online for dangling his 8-year-old stepson over an outfield wall in pursuit of a home run ball has offered a strange defense for the viral stunt.
James Foreman insisted he was not worried while lowering the child by the ankles during Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, despite the backlash that followed once the clip spread across social media.
“I felt like I had a good grip. I’ve done it hundreds of times,” Foreman told Inside Edition.
The bizarre scene unfolded in the bottom of the fifth inning after Cardinals outfielder Bryan Torres sent a two-run shot just over the right-field wall.
Instead of landing cleanly in the stands, the ball became stuck between the fence and a back wall, leaving it close enough to tempt fans nearby but still out of reach.
Foreman apparently decided the best way to solve that problem was to turn his young stepson into a human extension pole.
Video circulating on social media showed the Reds fan holding the boy by the ankles and lowering him over the barrier toward the loose ball.
The child, identified as 8-year-old Jeffrey, stretched down toward the souvenir but was unable to grab it.
Before Foreman and Jeffrey could make another attempt, stadium security stepped in and stopped the pair from continuing.
Jeffrey later made it clear he was very much on board with the mission.
When asked by Inside Edition how badly he wanted the home run ball, the youngster replied: “A lot.”
The internet was far less enthusiastic.
After the footage went viral, fans ripped Foreman for what many viewed as a reckless attempt to grab a baseball.
“People have died falling over these walls. They were absolutely right trying to stop that idiot dad,” one X user wrote.
“Some people should never be permitted to be parents,” another posted.
The moment quickly became one of the more surreal fan scenes of the MLB weekend, with the pursuit of a souvenir overshadowing the play that produced it.
Foreman, however, appeared to see things differently, defending the move by saying he felt secure holding Jeffrey and claiming it was not the first time he had done something similar.
The family’s risky mission did not even end with a prize.
They left Busch Stadium without the home run ball — and without a Reds win.
Torres’ blast helped the Cardinals beat Cincinnati 5-3, completing a three-game sweep over the Reds.
So Foreman may have felt he had a handle on the situation.
The internet was not nearly as convinced.