Emily Monforto, the little girl who tossed the foul ball her father caught during the Philadelphia Phillies game against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night, has received several text messages about her availability to replace Brad Lidge, the Phillies closer.
During Tuesday night’s game, Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth was up to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning and fouled a ball back in the second deck toward the third-base side.
Seated in the first row were Steve Monforto, his wife, Kathleen, and daughters, Emily and Cecilia.
Monforto leaned over the glass and caught the foul ball about waist level.
After exchanging some fist bumps with nearby fans, Monforto high-fived 3-year-old Emily and handed the ball to the little girl, dressed in her pink T-shirt and Phillies cap.
Emily then proceeded to toss the ball right back down from the seats.
Monforto’s jaw immediately dropped, and his hands went up in the air. But as his young daughter turned to him, he found a smile, took the child into his arms and kissed her.
“See, when she first threw it over, you know, I kind of laughed and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, there it goes.’ But then the look on her face was that she may have done something wrong, so I wanted to let her know that she didn’t do anything wrong,” Monforto said.
He also described a kind gesture by the Phillies organization after the loss of his foul ball.
“One of the Phillies representatives the next inning came up with a brand new ball. I don’t think it was the ball that she threw down, but they came up with another ball,” Monforto said.
But he said he does play catch with Emily in the backyard and the living room “to the chagrin of my wife.”
The reaction from friends has been amusing, in particular remarks about the Phillies’ closer, Brad Lidge.
“I’ve gotten a couple of texts about whether Emily’s available to close or not,” Monforto said.
Watch the video from Tuesday’s game where Steve Monforto catches the foul ball and daughter Emily throws it back.
