New York Post94%
Infamous MLB ballhawk Zack Hample was this close to catching George Lombard's first Yankees home run 57%
By Matt Ehalt72%
8/5/2026, 5:13:50 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 19 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Biased Writer Voice, and Framing Effect, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 38% saturation with 134 hits. Analysis detected 764 faulty-reasoning hits from 353 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 46.7% and a BS Rank of 57% (12,600 of 28,846 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 56.30% of the article peer group.
George Lombard Jr.'s storybook moment avoided a polarizing overcast.
Infamous MLB ballhawk Zack Hample — whose home run-catching antics draw great scorn in some corners — came within inches of catching the Yankees' top prospect first career home run Tuesday night in The Bronx.
Hample, standing in the aisle in the left-field seats at Yankee Stadium, reached to his right with his glove in an attempt to somehow corral the ball amid a sizable group of fellow ball-seekers during the Yankees' 2-0 win over the Cardinals.
Lombard's solo blast appeared to hit at least one fan's hand inches away from Hample and instead landed in the glove of Bruce Roberts.
Roberts, a Utah resident, reportedly attended the game with his family to celebrate his 12-year-old son Cash's birthday, according to The Athletic.
He ultimately traded the ball for signed balls and a meet-and-greet with Lombard.
“No-brainer,” Roberts told The Athletic.
“They were really generous about it.”
That Hample did not land the prized souvenir elicited celebration in some corners of social media due to his polarizing personality.
Some do not approve of his actions, although even the biggest of haters would point out that he has a knack for somehow always being in the right spot.
There's a skill in being able to somehow be in the right spot for a home run ball from a rookie who did not have a major-league hit to his name yet.
But there are allegations from some against Hample about how he maneuvers his way into spots where he can land the ball, including whether it's fair game to move in front of children.
Had Hample caught the ball, he may have had another awkward showdown with the Yankees.
Hample caught Alex Rodriguez's 3000th hit in 2015 — a home run — and initially would not return it to the ex-Yankees slugger despite attempts to broker a deal.
He finally gave Rodriguez the ball in exchange for a $150,000 charity donation, plus a signed bat and ball, according to MLB.com.
Speakers
1speaker3.1%attributed speech342writer words
Selected voice
55%flagged-word coverageBruce Roberts
11 attributed words100% of attributed speech81% writer coverage
Attribution is sentence-level. Pattern percentages are calculated only from words assigned to that voice.
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Analysis
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