Hazard pay is not included for Major League Baseball ball boys and girls, but maybe it should be.
In the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s game between the San Francisco Giants and their in-state division rival, the San Diego Padres, Giants slugger Bryce Eldridge hit a pitch from Jason Adam down the first base line that caromed into right field.
The ball girl, fully decked out in Giants gear, made her way out there to do her job and retrieve the lost ball. She succeeded in that, but on her way back to toss the ball into the stands as a souvenir, she suddenly stumbled and faceplanted onto the field.
She took it in a very good-natured way. She laughed at herself and waved off any attempt at assistance.
The game announcers, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper, were rooting for the ball girl to recover and praised her when she did.
“Atta girl,” Krukow said. “Sometimes your feet get heavy by the eighth inning.”
Unfortunately for Giants fans, this would be the highlight of the night. The Giants lost to the Padres 10-5.
The two teams will rematch on Wednesday at 12:45 p.m. PT.