Tim Anderson took a spot in the middle of the right field flag court in the bottom of the second inning. With Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers both due up, Anderson — who has snagged 75 home runs as a fan — knew he had a chance to catch history.
Beavers slugged a 3-2 changeup to deep right field for a no-doubt blast. But there was doubt as to what fan would catch Beavers’ first career home run. That ended up being Anderson.
“I could tell it was going, it kept carrying,” Anderson said. “I kind of had to jump in a full extension and I was able to grab it. Very happy with that.”
Anderson, 31 years old from Baltimore, came to the Aug. 21 game between the Orioles and Astros because he knew neither Basallo nor Beavers entered with a major league home run. Both players notched their first career hits in Baltimore’s recent road trip but didn’t slug a ball over the wall.
Catching memorable home runs is nothing new for Anderson.
When Cedric Mullins hit for the cycle on May 12, 2023, against the Pirates, Anderson snagged the homer in nearly the same except spot. When Matt Wieters secured his first 20-home run season against the Rays on Sept. 14, 2011, Anderson caught the blast. When Jonathan Schoop reached 500 career hits with a home run against the Mariners on Aug. 29, 2017, Anderson corralled it.
Anderson, who has plenty of experience on the flag court, has also caught milestone homers of visiting players. The Beavers home run marks the seventh time he has given a ball back to a player, one of the biggest reasons he wanted to catch it.
“I always make it super easy,” said Anderson, who had planned to meet Beavers after the Orioles’ 7-2 loss. “I just ask to meet them and get a signed bat. I feel like that’s a pretty fair trade.”
Anderson predicted he will catch Basallo’s first career home run as well.
Anderson also attended the first home games of Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday and Wieters, so he wanted to make the trip to Camden Yards on Aug. 21 regardless of whether he could catch a Beavers or Basallo home run.
Anderson had been a season-ticket holder for 15 years but chose not to renew for 2026 because he believes the organization hasn’t treated the fans the right way.
This season has “really sucked,” in Anderson’s perspective, but watching Beavers and Basallo not only find success, but simply play every day, is nice for him to see. He has hope they’ll play key roles next season.
“I hope we invest in the team as well next year to get the key people that we need in order to make the push,” Anderson said. “Because this team should be World Series or bust at this point.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Tim Anderson