Angels News: Blue Jays Fans Returned First Home Run Ball To Niko Kavadas
Niko Kavadas had easily the best moment of his professional career up to this point on Thursday of last week, when he tallied his first MLB hit and first MLB home run in one swing against the Toronto Blue Jays in the top of the ninth inning. It served as the only runs the Los Angeles Angels scored in a 5-3 loss, and the game ended on the very next batter.
In the frenzy of the home run and the game ending, the fans that caught Kavadas’ milestone baseball left the stadium without a trace. It was a difficult moment for the Angels top-30 prospect, who had been hoping to gift the ball to his father, a memorabilia collector. And while his father wasn’t upset in any way about the lost ball, Kavadas would ultimately get his wish.
The next day, the Blue Jays informed the Angels that the ball had been retrieved and the catchers wanted to return the ball without any compensation. Kavadas was stunned by the generosity, according to Julia Kreuz of MLB.com:
Johnny Cueto — known for his time with the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants as a workhorse starter — has been in and out of the league for several seasons now. At 38 years old, expecting a comeback effort of any kind would have been naive. But manager Ron Washington and the Los Angeles Angels gave him that chance by starting him against the Royals on Wednesday of last week.
For manager Ron Washington, Cueto is here to provide a helping hand with some of the team’s younger pitchers. And in less than a week, Washington is already impressed with what Cueto has brought in that regard.
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