CINCINNATI — WCPO Meteorologist Brandon Spinner was in the right spot at the right time on Thursday.
The Cincinnati Reds were facing the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park.
Brandon was sitting just behind the left-field wall, when Kyle Farmer ripped a line-drive home run right to him.
The first career multi-HR game for @kFarm17 has the @Reds up to 1️⃣1️⃣‼️ pic.twitter.com/Hdovi89TuX
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) May 26, 2022
"I sat down in the seats thinking, if someone hits a home run, there's a chance it could come to me," said Brandon. "But it's got to be smoked."
It was. The exit velocity of Kyle Farmer's home run was 105.6 MPH.
#Cubs 5 @ #Reds 11 [B5-0o]:
— Home Run Tracker (@DingerTracker) May 26, 2022
Kyle Farmer homers (3): fly ball to LF (solo)
Hit: 356ft, 105.6mph, 24°🚀
[2nd of game]
Pitch: 92.2mph Four-Seam Fastball (LHP Brandon Hughes, 1)
Brandon did not have a glove with him – So he faced a split-second decision.
Try to make a bare-hand catch? Or step out of the way.
"The way it was hit, and for it to hit where I was at," explained Brandon, "It's curving as it's coming."
He stuck-out his hand, but instead the ball hit his wrist. The contact was so hard, that it left a stitch-shaped mark and a bruise on Brandon's arm.
I may or may not have been the guy who just took Kyle Farmer’s @kFarm17 105.7mph home run off the wrist. pic.twitter.com/QcgwPIi4AM
— Brandon Spinner WCPO (@wxSpinner89) May 26, 2022
Kyle Farmer saw the above picture (of Brandon's wrist) on social media, and talked to us about it.
We asked Farmer if he would ever consider catching a ball with his bare hand, if it were moving 106 MPH.
"No I would move out of the way. Usually when a ball is coming at you 106 MPH, you move out of the way," said Farmer. "I don't really know what Brandon was thinking, there."
Brandon is an unapologetic Cubs fan, which made the whole thing that much more complicated.
"Die-hard," said Brandon. "I've got Cubs season tickets."
Brandon is now considering buying a Kyle Farmer jersey, though, and he even surprised the WCPO sports team by wearing Reds socks on-air Sunday night, during an interview on Sports of All Sorts (WCPO's weekly Sunday night sports show).
We asked Kyle Farmer if he had any advice for Brandon.
"Brandon, I think next time wear a glove," said Farmer. "And don't wear a Cubs shirt to a Cincinnati Reds game."
