In a surprising turn of events at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California, a drone caused a brief interruption during the baseball game between the Athletics and the Chicago Cubs on Monday night. The device, appearing near the left-field wall, was quickly dealt with by Stewart Thalblum, the seasoned bat boy for the Athletics.
The drone attempted to lift Thalblum off the ground, but with quick reflexes, he used a bat to bring it down, being careful to avoid injury from the buzzing blades. Once he had secured the drone, he passed it to a waiting security guard.
The appearance of the drone coincided with Seth Brown stepping up to bat for the Athletics in the seventh inning, during a game dominated by the Cubs with a score of 18-3. The unexpected intrusion resulted in a slight delay of the game.
At 22 years old, Thalblum, who has six years of experience as a bat boy, shared his concerns about safely handling the drone without injuring himself, noting, “I think for me I didn’t want to cut my fingers off.” He recounted catching the drone by its base and using his bat to disable its wings, preventing it from flying away. With uncertainty about handling such situations, Thalblum took initiative.
His quick action drew praise from many, including Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who acknowledged the strange occurrence as a sign of modern times. Counsell noted with amusement how it seemed the drone aimed to fly both away and with Thalblum, humorously remarking, “But it was funny because it looked like the drone was trying to fly away, it was trying to fly Mikey’s son away, too.”
Previously, Thalblum had spotted the drone during the prior at-bat, a first-time experience for him, leading to his response when plate umpire Adrian Johnson halted the game. With security slow to act, Thalblum seized the moment.
His father, Mikey Thalblum, the longstanding visiting clubhouse manager for the A’s, expressed pride in his son, though quick-thinking seems to run in the family. He noted that while capturing a drone was impressive, his pride extended to his son’s overall character, calling him a “good clubbie.”