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One San Francisco Giants fan has gotten under the skin of the Atlanta Braves for refusing to return a meaningful splash hit home run ball to Michael Harris II.
Dave Edlund, known as “McCovey Cove Dave” retrieved the ball Harris hit for his first career grand slam and just the fourth grand slam ever into the famed San Francisco Bay outside Oracle Park in the top of the first inning during the Braves-Giants game on Wednesday night.
The Braves originally tried to get the ball back by offering the customarily signed baseball and bat, but Edlund – who has snagged 38 splash hits and 55 balls from the cove – told SFGate he has no interest in the memorabilia.
David O’Brien, who covers the Braves for the Athletic, tweeted on Thursday that he was told by someone involved in the negotiations that Edlund asked for a job with the Giants in exchange for the ball.
Edlund denied that claim to SFGate, saying what he asked for was the ability to park his car at Pier 30/32, a lot designated for Giants employees and media members that comes at a significantly reduced rate compared the to $60 the public pays.
He called it a “reasonable offer” on X.
The request was denied and Edlund – who attends around 50 games a year – is feeling “kind of bitter” about it all.
The Braves did not respond to SFGate’s request for comment.
Bally Sports South reporter Hanna Yates reiterated the claim Edlund wanted to be a Giants employee along with Harris’ take on not getting the ball during the pregame show on Thursday.
“Then, he started responding to fans with a selfie with that ball on his social media accounts saying, ‘Well, small gesture, there is one thing,’” Yates said. “And so the Braves said, ‘What is that?’ And he said, ‘Well, I want to be a Giants team employee.’ So, not necessarily a small gesture there. But Michael Harris says, ‘Well, sounds like I am just going to have to hit another grand slam.’”
Analyst C.J. Nitkowski said ‘Boo to Dave” and play-by-play man Brandon Gaudin added that Edlund is not making friends in “the Atlanta clubhouse or in the Atlanta area.”
The ball itself is of some significance as Harris is the only visiting player to hit a splash grand slam as the Giants’ Barry Bonds (2000), Michael Tucker (2005) and Mike Yastrzemski (2021) are the only others to do so.
Edlund claimed he had given plenty of balls back, including plenty of players’ first home runs without wanting anything in return.
But he has wanted to grab a cove glam slam for a long time.
“I love chasing a home run and competing against fellow fans in a friendly way,” Edlund said. “[But] some fans, particularly Braves fans, are going to be mad knowing I still have the ball.”