He eventually gave it to her, however, and now the girl\u2019s mother wants folks on social media to leave him alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis man\u2019s life shouldn\u2019t be ruined over this,\u201d Nikki Moore-DeVore told The Times in a phone interview Monday. \u201cJokes and memes are one thing, but it\u2019s getting excessive. It\u2019s too much.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man was later identified as Lakewood, Ohio, business owner Max Quinn.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made a lot of mistakes that night,\u201d Quinn said Wednesday on WJW-TV in Cleveland. \u201cI\u2019m not trying to justify what I did, but I am very sorry for what I did and how it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moore-DeVore said her family \u2014 which also includes her husband, Jon DeVore, and her son, Theo Moore, 9 \u2014 attend several Guardians games a year. They sit in the outfield stands, where Evelyn \u2014 an avid baseball fan and baseball card collector \u2014 likes to take her glove down to the rail and try to persuade Cleveland outfielders to toss her a ball.<\/p>\n
Video of Schneemann\u2019s home run shows the ball flying over the left-center field wall, where Quinn tried to catch it in the air. Instead, it bounced off his hands toward the rail to his left.<\/p>\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777562122_197_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Cleveland Guardians\u2019 Daniel Schneemann, right, is greeted at the plate by teammate David Fry after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday in Cleveland.<\/p>\n
(Sue Ogrocki \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n
Evelyn ran down from her seat two rows up, dropped to the ground and attempted to secure the ball in front of her. Quinn ran over and also dropped to the ground next to her, starting a brief struggle for control of the ball.<\/p>\n
He eventually emerged triumphantly. <\/p>\n
\u201cI did not really see how the ball came over to us. I just saw it bounce in our direction and my daughter go down to get it,\u201d Moore-DeVore said. \u201cAnd I saw the scuffle kind of from behind, but I couldn\u2019t see much of the hands or anything like that. I just saw the shoulders shifting around. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then she got up empty-handed, and people started booing. The guys sitting in front of me were like, \u2018That was her ball!\u2019 My husband was booing. He was not happy, but we didn\u2019t want to ruin the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn also was upset by the turn of events, her mother said, \u201cbut she didn\u2019t cry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe actually took it like a champ,\u201d Moore-DeVore said. \u201cEvery inning, she still went up to the rail to try to get one of the players to throw a ball to her. She didn\u2019t give up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Theo approached Quinn to request he return the ball to his sister. Moore-DeVore said her son told her Quinn politely refused.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just proud of him for going over there and taking it upon himself to try to help his sister,\u201d Moore-DeVore said.<\/p>\n
The Rays broadcast of the game showed the incident involving Evelyn and Quinn, with the announcers taking the girl\u2019s side. On social media, fans shared the video and shamed the man for his behavior.<\/p>\n
Later in the game, Rays sideline reporter Ryan Bass visited the family at their seats and presented both kids with baseballs. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s when Evelyn became emotional.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe cried happy tears,\u201d her mother said. \u201cI think she just felt seen. The incident made her feel small, and Ryan made her feel seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bass posted about the moment on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n