Jeffrey Maier

Jeffrey Maier may be the most popular New York Yankees fan of all-time. During Game 1 of the 1996 World Series he sat in the right field stands with his glove, just one row beyond the fence. At the time he was 12-years old, and with his team down 4-3 in the game he watched intently as his favorite player, Derek Jeter, stepped into the batters box. The next thing he knew, a fly ball was heading his way. Like any 12- year old fan, he reached to catch the ball, stretching his glove over the separation between the stands and the wall, and when he did the ball fell into his glove. What made his catch so significant was that if he had not caught it, the opposing right fielder that had leaped the nine-foot wall to catch it, would have caught it. The call was disputed by the opposing team, but ultimately called a homerun. Jeter’s homerun tied the game at 4-4, and eventually the Yanks went on to win the game, and the World Series. Maier went on to have a successful baseball career of his own. After starring at Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan, New Jersey he signed a baseball scholarship with Wesleyan University in Connecticut. During his time at Wesleyan he set the school record for career hits and earned First Team All-NESCAC honors. He went on to play with the Pittsfield Dukes in the New England Collegiate League. He has since become a special consultant for the New Haven County Cutters, and has been featured in several prominent documentaries on his famous catch.