Known ballhawk Zack Hample was at it again during the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday.
Hample was caught on video catching a ball in the top of the fifth inning and turning to his left to talk to someone.
At first glance, it appears Hample is taunting a fan for not getting to the ball before him, but as the camera zooms out you see Hample is actually engaged with his cameraman for a video.
As Hample does so, though, fans in the area boo the baseball collector and one fan interrupts his video, forcing him to shoot another take.
People reacted on X to the video as expected.
“MLB when does this madness stop?” One fan said. “Please ban this clown. He laughs in the face of kids after stealing foul balls. While wrapped in MLB logos.
“You are enabling a psychopath not grounded in reality. People pay good money to have this lunatic climb over them for a foul ball.”
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, however, seems to have an unpopular opinion on Hample, claiming he is “one of the great misunderstood geniuses of our generation.”
The dislike for Hample spawns from the idea that he takes away opportunities for kids to get balls from their favorite players.
Hample has mastered the craft of getting foul balls and homeruns, collecting over 13,000 balls at 68 different MLB stadiums, per his YouTube bio.
The video of spectators booing Hample comes as Philadelphia fans have sparked controversy over how much they jeer rather than cheer.
During the MLB draft Phillies fans booed Rob Manfred and any division rival throughout the night, but it continued through to the Futures Game on Sunday and the entire all-star weekend.
Even the teenagers in charge of catching fly balls during the 2026 Home Run Derby were subject to jeers if they made a mistake.
“I think it’s an honor, to be honest,” 17-year-old Reed Weiner told The Philadelphia Inquirer after dropping a ball. “When I go to Phillies games, I’ll boo everyone…. I deserved those boos. I liked it.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
