- The Reds fan interacted with Tyler Freeman of the Guardians before fleeing.
- He then stopped in front of an approaching officer and executed a perfect turn.
If you can’t beat them, use a taser.
That was the lesson for Cincinnati police Tuesday night, when an enthusiastic Reds fan stormed the field and eluded cops before executing a flawless backflip in front of a helpless officer.
Spectators at Great American Ball Park were all too happy to ignore the 5-3 loss to the visiting Cleveland Guardians and instead focus on the attention-seeking hooligan in a replica Johnny Bench jersey.
The man first lunged at Guardians center fielder Tyler Freeman, who didn’t seem amused by the ninth-inning visit. From there, the intruder ran away as he victoriously raised both arms above his head only to stop abruptly in right center field. Then, as an officer quickly approached, the unidentified man performed his graceful backflip before attempting to flee on foot once again.
Unfortunately for him, the humiliated officer was unsheathing his Taser and quickly dropped the offending fan.
An unidentified fan runs across the field before the ninth inning at Great American Ballpark.
Wearing a Johnny Bench T-shirt, the man executed a perfect backflip as an officer approached.
Spokespeople for Cincinnati police 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 home run and Freeman made two impressive defensive plays, helping Cleveland upset Cincinnati in the first game of the Ohio Cup series.
Steven Kwan hit a two-run double as AL Central-leading Cleveland won its third straight victory. Triston McKenzie (3-3) pitched 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball, and Emmanuel Clase pitched a shaky ninth for his 20th save.
The Guardians went ahead to take three runs in the third against Nick Martínez (2-4). Kwan hit a two-run double and scored on Naylor’s single.
The Reds had gone ahead with an RBI double by Jeimer Candelario in the first. But they lost the chance to get more because back-to-back spectacular catches by Freeman in the middle.
A police officer tasers a Cincinnati Reds fan after the fan ran onto the field Wednesday.
When Freeman wasn’t irritated by encroaching fans, the center fielder was stealing home runs.
Guardians’ Steven Kwan (38), Tyler Freeman (2) and David Fry celebrate the team’s 5-3 victory
First, Freeman ran toward Spencer Steer’s fly ball against the wall in deep center. He then jumped up to rob Jake Fraley of a home run, ending the threat.
“Any time you steal a home run, it’s sick,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “Those were big plays there. It could have been a lot different if he hadn’t made those plays there. He just keeps getting better and better.’
The Reds received good news on Tuesday.
Cincinnati optioned infielder Noelvi Marte to Triple-A Louisville for a 15-game rehab assignment. Marte was suspended before the season for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
Marte, one of Cincinnati’s top prospects, is eligible to play in the majors again on June 27.