The ninth inning of the Cleveland Guardians’ 5-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night was temporarily when a fan streaked across the field at Great American Ballpark.
Per policy, neither Bally Sports Great Lakes nor Bally Sports Ohio showed the fan in question, but based on the commentary, it sure sounded like quite the ordeal.
“We’ve got a knucklehead on the field out in centerfield and he’s trying to engage [Guardians centerfielder] Tyler Freeman, who gave him the silent treatment,” Guardians play-by-play broadcaster Matt Underwood said as the camera remained focused on the paused play in the infield. “And now said knucklehead is about to get plunked — oh, he escapes! Oh, he got tased. Down goes crazy fan!”
After the broadcast joked that fans who perform such acts in Cincinnati should be permitted avoid jail time if they can cross the Ohio River into Kentucky, Underwood noted, “I’m guessing the condition most of those people are in, they should not be trying to swim.”
Underwood also revealed that the streaker — who was fully clothed, for what it’s worth — had even performed a backflip right in front of the officer before being tased.
Bally Sports Great Lakes had quite the call of a fan running onto the field and doing a backflip before getting tased during last night’s Guardians-Reds game.
“We’ve got a knucklehead on the field out in centerfield and he’s trying to engage Tyler Freeman, who gave him the… pic.twitter.com/0XRU0BIuyb
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 12, 2024
While the Bally Sports broadcasts didn’t show the incident, it didn’t take long for videos from the stands to make their way to social media.
STREAKER AT GABP #Reds pic.twitter.com/06muxVMDVe
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) June 12, 2024
Such videos, however, paled in comparison to the still shots of the incident captured by Getty Images’ Andy Lyons. In a matter of three pictures, you can see the smiling fan in a gray Johnny Bench Reds throwback jersey running onto the field and performing his backflip right in front of the police officer chasing him, before his facial expression quickly changes as he’s struck with the taser.
These photos of the fan who ran onto the field during Reds-Guardians game 😳
He did a backflip before being tased by police
(📸: Andy Lyons) pic.twitter.com/U0TasgUUHc
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 12, 2024
USA Today Sports’ Katie Stratman also captured a great shot from the run-in, showing the aftermath of the tasing.
Via USA Today Sports pic.twitter.com/4xXERYKxsO
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) June 12, 2024
The still shots of the incident proceeded to go viral, as did the ensuing arraignment of 19-year-old William Hendon of Cleves, Ohio, who was charged with felony criminal trespass and obstructing official business, a misdemeanor.
“Everybody thinks you landed that backflip,” Municipal Court Judge William Mallory said during Hendon’s arraignment Wednesday morning, according to Cincinnati.com.
“I’m pretty sure I did,” replied Hendon.
And yes, he was still wearing his Reds jersey while in court.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.