CHICAGO — Keith Hartley doesn't care if people don't approve of him catching a foul ball with one hand while holding his 7-month-old son, Isaac, in the other.
"People will always have their opinions and that's fine, I'm not going to let affect me or my family. They can think what they want," Hartley told DNAinfo Chicago late Wednesday night, one day after he made worldwide headlines by corralling a foul ball at Wrigley Field in his right hand as he bottle-fed his baby boy with his left hand.
Has anyone ever snagged a pop-up barehanded while baby-feeding? Donnie Baseball says he could http://t.co/TL5pmmu6s2 pic.twitter.com/MhZzJTe3KN
— Aaron Lucchetti (@AaronLucchetti) June 24, 2015The play, which was eventually ruled fan interference and cost the Cubs an out, became an instant social media phenomenon.
"Everyone is wondering when I'm going to make my debut on [Jimmy] Kimmel or [Jimmy] Fallon," said the Andersonville resident, who was interviewed by local television stations and nationally on SportsCenter on Wednesday.
According to @Sport_Science, holding a baby actually helped that Cubs fan make this catch. http://t.co/B0VyMlJk0b pic.twitter.com/sgPJ8noiOW
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 25, 2015Justin Breen discusses the foul ball catch at Wrigley Field that's got everyone talking:
Hartley, who works in information technology for a financial firm in Irving Park, was sitting in the front row near first base with his wife, Kari, and Isaac when Cubs batter Jason Hammel fouled a ball in his direction. While holding Isaac, Hartley calmly caught the ball over Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez's glove.
Hartley said his wife didn't want an apology, though "dragging her around to all of the interviews and appearances [Wednesday] will definitely earn her a girls day in the spa with a friend."
Hartley said he hadn't stopped hearing from people all over the world.
"My wife and I used to live in Australia, and our friends were sending us news articles from Sydney and I saw some from BBC in the UK and Germany, Croatia and Russia. It's just been nuts," he said.
.@Cubs fan and Father of the Year candidate, Keith Hartley, talks about his now famous catch. http://t.co/1BcdRSySfN pic.twitter.com/46QfClUm7f
— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) June 25, 2015Hartley, 29, has an athletic background. He said he played volleyball and golf at suburban Lockport High School and then soccer Downstate at Lincoln Christian College.
He described his son as "the chillest, most calm baby ever and we're just really blessed to have such a good kid."
He hasn't made plans to take Isaac to another game, but when he does, Hartley said: "We'll certainly sit farther back though, that's for sure."
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