Some things in sports, and in life, are just too good to be true. Barry Bonds hitting that many home runs without some help and Bruce Lee actually playing ping pong with nunchucks are two perfect examples. You can definitely add this next viral video to the list, too.
Videos by FanBuzz
In a time filled with incredible plays, perhaps nothing could ever top this amazing catch by a ball girl, if only it were real. Millions have watched the video on social media and are still mesmerized over a decade later.
The crazy part is the viral ad footage from a minor league baseball game came out before it was supposed to be released.
Ball Girl Gatorade Commercial
RELATED: "Chicks Dig The Long Ball" Remains Baseball's Best Commercial
Some years ago, Gatorade teamed up with Element 79 for a unique campaign, according to Snopes.com. It was designed to be a Gatorade commercial directed by Baker Smith and featured a ball girl who scaled an outfield wall like she was Spider-Man to catch a foul ball.
It all took place during a minor league game between the Tacoma Rainiers and Fresno Grizzlies. A player by the name of Brent Johnson — a pretty modest .257 hitter with one home run and 23 RBIs on the season — drove a ball foul to the left field corner.
That's when this unknown ball girl made a major league play and caught it. The announcer was stunned.
"That's swung on and hit deep down the left-field line, toward the corner, and this ball is gonna be ... OH, IT'S CAUGHT! It's not Jake Wald ... it's the ball girl! Jake Wald in left field can't believe it! And look, she shows him up. She sort of tosses him the ball, saying 'Take that, Jake, I don't see you making the effort.' Alfonzo the catcher, he can't believe it. Let's look at that replay. Oh my! What an amazing play!"
No, the ball girl catch isn't real. It's a stuntwoman named Phoenix Brown being pulled by wires, which were tugged by two stuntmen, according to liveabout.com.
The video was released, even though that wasn't the plan at the time.
"We were not planning to release the ball girl video," Gatorade spokeswoman Jill Kinney said. "However, now that it's out there, we're thrilled with the response it's getting."
Gatorade ended its relationship with Element 79 shortly after the video was completed. Although the famous sports drink is not mentioned in the ad, it eventually aired during the 2008 MLB All-Star Game.
Despite there not being a left fielder on the planet able to make such a catch, this video is always fun to watch on repeat, especially during the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 outbreak.
This post was originally published on August 19, 2020.
