- The Reds fan interacted with the Guardians’ Tyler Freeman before walking away
- He then stopped in front of an approaching officer and performed a perfect somersault
If you can’t beat them, tase them.
That was the lesson for Cincinnati police Tuesday night, when an over-enthusiastic Reds fan stormed the field and eluded police before performing a flawless backflip in front of a helpless officer.
Spectators at Great American Ball Park were happy to ignore the 5-3 loss to the visiting Cleveland Guardians and instead focused on the attention-seeking hooligan in a Johnny Bench replica jersey.
The man first shot at Guardians centerfielder Tyler Freeman, who seemed unamused after the ninth-inning visit. From there, the intruder ran away while victoriously raising both arms above his head, but came to an abrupt stop in the shallow right-center field. As an officer quickly approached, the unidentified man performed his graceful backflip before again attempting to flee on foot.
Unfortunately for him, the humiliated officer unsheathed his taser and quickly dropped the offending fan.
An unknown fan runs onto the field before the ninth inning at Great American Ballpark
The man was wearing a Johnny Bench jersey and performed a perfect backflip as an officer approached
Spokespeople for the Cincinnati Police Department and the Reds did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for more information Wednesday morning.
As for the Reds, their evening had an equally sad ending.
Josh Naylor hit his 17th homer and Freeman made two impressive defensive plays, helping Cleveland beat Cincinnati in the Ohio Cup series opener.
Steven Kwan hit a two-run double for AL Central-leading Cleveland, which earned its third straight victory. Triston McKenzie (3-3) pitched 5 1/3 innings with two runs, and Emmanuel Clase scored a shaky ninth for his twentieth save.
The Guardians took the lead and held on for three runs in the third against Nick Martinez (2-4). Kwan hit a two-run double and scored on Naylor’s single.
The Reds had jumped in front on Jeimer Candelario’s RBI double in the first. But in doing so, they lost a chance for more back-to-back spectacular catches from Freeman in the middle.
A police officer tased a Cincinnati Reds fan after the fan ran onto the field on Wednesday
When Freeman wasn’t getting irritated by invading fans, the center fielder was robbing home runs
Guardians’ Steven Kwan (38), Tyler Freeman (2) and David Fry celebrate the team’s 5-3 victory
First, Freeman ran Spencer Steer’s flyball into deep center against the wall. He then made a leaping grab to rob Jake Fraley of a homer, ending the threat.
“Every time you rob a homer, it’s sick,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “They were big plays there. Things could have turned out very differently if he hadn’t made those plays there. He just keeps getting better and better.”
The Reds received good news on Tuesday.
Cincinnati sent infielder Noelvi Marte to Triple-A Louisville for a 15-game rehab assignment. Marte was suspended before the season after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
Marte, one of Cincinnati’s top prospects, will be eligible to play in the Majors again on June 27.