The real story behind the Astros fan who stole and threw back Yasiel Puig's homer

Mike Oz

HOUSTON — A video that quickly spread around the internet after Yasiel Puig’s ninth-inning home run in Game 5 of the World Series shows a Houston Astros fan in the left-field seats holding the home-run ball, until the man two seats down grabs it from her and throws it back onto the field.

But that’s only half the story. Here’s the rest: Her name is Sarah Head and she’s mad only because she didn’t get to throw it back herself.

“I would have liked the opportunity to throw it back myself,” Head told Yahoo Sports.

Turns out the guy who took the ball from her was her brother-in-law, Kirk Head. Sarah said she knew he was going to take it and throw it back.

Kirk was informed by Yahoo Sports that he’d been turned into a villain on the internet and then asked to defend himself. His defense? “[Expletive] the Dodgers.”

It was that kind of game in Houston between the Astros and the Dodgers.

The Astros’ 13-12 walk-off win in extras during Game 5 of the World Series was a wild one. It included an abundance of home runs, multiple dramatic comebacks … and — for a moment — a family relationship seemingly ending right in front of our eyes.

That’s the only way to describe what fans at home saw after Puig’s two-run homer in the ninth cut the lead to just one run with a two-run shot that barely made it into the Crawford Boxes in left.

Sarah, sporting an Astros hat and shirt, grabbed the ball, and immediately started to celebrate. During the celebration, her brother-in-law Kirk reached over, took it from her hands and angrily threw it back on the field.

Sarah Head did not seemed pleased after her brother-in-law threw back a home run, but it all worked out in the end. (Screen shot via @WillBrinson)
Sarah Head did not seemed pleased after her brother-in-law threw back a home run, but it all worked out in the end. (Screen shot via @WillBrinson)

At that moment, the internet erupted. Kirk was suddenly Public Enemy No. 1. Countless profane words — some four letters, some more creative — were sent out about his furious toss.

But in case you think there’s bad blood between the two, that’s not the case.

“We hugged and made up afterward,” Kirk said.

Of course, that doesn’t mean all is well. After robbing Sarah of a chance to throw the ball back herself, something more than a hug needed to be done to mend the fence.

“We talked about giving her my Nolan Ryan signed bat and ball,” Kirk said.

After that crazy game, giving up a Nolan Ryan signed bat and ball almost seems reasonable.

The Stew’s Chris Cwik contributed to this report

More World Series coverage from Yahoo Sports:
• Recapping one of the wildest World Series games ever
• Puig guarantees Dodgers will force Game 7
• Dodgers pitcher: My ‘selfish’ decision cost us Game 5
• How World Series is disproving ‘baseball is boring’ myth