Cincinnati Reds’ Joey Votto apologizes to fan after grabbing his shirt

A fan interfered with Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, who was trying to make a catch near the railing in foul ground Tuesday night, and Votto grabbed the fan’s shirt in frustration.

After the game, which the Reds won 7-5 against the St. Louis Cardinals on a three-run, walk-off home run by Scott Schebler in the ninth inning, Votto explained what happened.

“I made a big mistake by crossing the stands/field boundary,” Votto said. “I ended up semi-going into the stands to make a catch. I misplayed it. I took my frustration out on a fan. First of all, I should have made the catch regardless. He stayed in the stands. I crossed the boundary and touched his shirt. I felt really bad about it afterward.

“Randy is his name. I went up and saw him afterward. He was generous enough to apologize at the time and afterward, and in retrospect, he’s not the one who should be apologizing. I should be apologizing. He was just trying to catch a ball, and here I am bullying him. I don’t feel the responsiblity to be some sort of example, but I do feel I should treat my fellow man with respect, and I felt I was in the wrong completely there. I was certainly regretful. He was forgiving. I would like to think all is good, and the guy ended up striking out anyway.”

Votto went 4-for-4 with a walk and extended his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games. He’s hitting .519 in that stretch.

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