Fan in Duane Kuiper jersey drops foul ball, then gets a surprise from Kuiper himself

If catching a ball at a game is a baseball fan’s dream, dropping one has to be a nightmare. Instead of plucking the ball out of thin air and getting a rousing ovation from the fans, the ball literally slips through your arms while the fans around you make that sad, disappointed “AWWH” sound.

[Fantasy Football is open! Sign up now]

On Thursday, one San Francisco Giants fan experienced that nightmare. He dropped a foul ball, and his drop was even featured on the broadcast. But thanks to one of the Giants announcers, the fan didn’t leave sad and empty handed. And it was all because of a jersey.

This mini-saga began in the eighth inning. Hunter Renfroe was batting with two outs and he sent a pitch foul, behind him toward the first base side. It rose to the upper level of seats, and a fan wearing a Duane Kuiper jersey had the perfect opportunity to snag it. He reached his arms out, and the ball almost fell right in. But the ball had a different plan. It bounced off his wrist and then his right arm before ricocheting away and out of reach, falling down to the lower level.

To say this fan was devastated feels like an understatement. When the ball bounced beyond his grasp, he slammed down his furry Giants hat and curled up in his seat. Here’s a gif, thanks to MLB.com’s Cut4.

We can all relate to that feeling, right?

Well don’t relate for long, because here’s where his jersey comes into play. Giants announcer and former player Duane Kuiper saw the incident, and saw what jersey that poor guy was wearing. So Kuiper went to the upper level, snuck into the seat next to the foul ball guy, and handed him a signed baseball. And the dude was absolutely ecstatic.

http://www.giphy.com/gifs/3oeHLCDsYkaBlazwm4

The cherry on top of all this? On the broadcast, Kuiper said he signed the ball “Nice Catch,” which is amazing. Foul ball guy got gift-trolled by Duane Kuiper! But I’m sure he wouldn’t have it any other way.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

– – – – – –

Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher