Toronto Man Who Caught the ‘Springer Dinger’ Home Run Ball Says he Feels ‘Blessed’ to be Part of Sports History

Michael Angeletti caught the George Springer home run ball that turned the tide for the Blue Jays in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Seattle Mariners.  Michael Angeletti says he knew he would catch George Springer’s home run ball before it actually happened.  The Toronto native was sitting in the front row out in left field at Rogers Centre — wearing a Springer jersey — during Game 7 of the American League Championship Series Monday.  The game was a do-or-die matchup between the Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, who were tied at three games apiece and both just one win away from clinching a historic World Series berth. 

Angeletti says he was in the middle of texting his cousin, telling him that he would catch a home run ball, when Springer smashed a fly ball his way, bringing Angeletti and more than 44,000 other fans in Rogers Centre to their feet.  “I dropped the phone, caught the ball and here we are,” he said.  The three-run home run led the Jays to a 4-3 victory over the Mariners, clinching the Toronto’s first World Series berth since 1993.  Angeletti says he’s travelled to 72 countries and five continents, but the feeling of being in the crowd during that moment was unmatched. 

He says it’s the “most real” he’s ever felt in his life.  Angeletti says he’s open to doing “what’s best for the ball” if it means trading it back to the Blue Jays as a piece of historic memorabilia, but for now he’s content with savouring the moment.  Angeletti says he feels “blessed” to be part of Canadian sports history, and he feels good about the Jays chances against the Dodgers in the fall classic.  “We’re going to take it in seven, just like we did the ALCS.”

Toronto Blue Jays’ George Springer celebrates his three-run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning in Game 7 of baseball’s American League Championship Series, Monday in Toronto.