Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman slams adult baseball fan who elbowed kids out the way to get his ball autographed

An adult fan has been slammed online by professional baseball players after he was filmed elbowing a child out of the way in order to get his ball autographed.

Video posted online showing a middle-aged man leaning over several young children as he tried to get Houston Astros’ pitcher Justin Verlander to sign his baseball at the MLB All-Star Game.

He waves his ball around, reaching over the neck of a pre-teen boy standing to the right of him, who tries to push him back.

At that point, the middle-aged San Diego Padres fan intentionally hits the child, who looks back at the older gentleman incredulously as the man seems to start arguing with the boy.

But the boy soon decides not to pay the rude man any attention, instead fixing his hat as he asks Verlander to sign the ball.

Still, the man continues to shake his ball in front of Verlander as he starts to sign the boy’s baseball instead.

Video from the incident was posted online by the Bleacher Report on Monday and has since garnered more than 3.8 million views, as many criticize the rude man, with Toronto Blue Jays player Kevin Gausman urging: ‘Be better people.’

‘Honestly this is nothing new, grown men pushing kids for balls, taking foul balls from kids, taking the ball they knew damn well we were tossing to a kid,’ he said.

A middle-aged man was filmed reaching over a pre-teen boy – while apparently leaning over another young child – as he called for Houston Astros’ pitcher Justin Verlander to sign his baseball at the MLB All-Star Game

The eager man, wearing a San Diego Padres hat, starts waving the ball as Verlander approaches, pushing against the pre-teen boy

The boy tried to push the unknown man back, at which point the Padres fan intentionally hits the child, who looks back at the older gentleman incredulously as the man seems to start arguing with the boy

Kevin Gausman, a Toronto Blue Jays player, called out the man on Twitter after video of the incident went viral

 Jack Kennedy, the host of the Lights, Camera Podcast, also tweeted: ‘I remember we did a bracket of biggest losers and [Barstool’s Coley Mick] made an incredible argument for adult autograph seekers.

‘This video, though, is all the argument you need.’

Meanwhile Josh Yoshe, a senior writer for The Atlantic who covers the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, wrote: ‘I’ve covered Sidney Crosby for 13 years. Only time I’ve ever seen him get s***** with someone was a guy exactly like this who kept showing up at Southpointe for autographs every day.’

And Drew Bogs, a former television news producer, tweeted: ‘This guy is terrible, it means more for kids getting autographs.

‘I hope this guy didn’t get a single autograph,’ he added.

Ray Juray III, another Twitter user, meanwhile, said the unknown man ‘needs to relax.

‘I understand he’s paying a lot of money for All Star Game tickets, but so is everyone else,’ Juray wrote. ‘It’s about the kids.

‘Yes, adults should have a lot of fun as well… but come on now!’

Others said that just because he is wearing a San Diego Padres hat in the footage does not mean that Padres fans ‘don’t claim him,’ and Conrad Wilson, a producer and host for Bleacher Report wrote that he won the ‘worst f****** guy on the planet award.’

Many people on Twitter criticized the man for being rude and pushing the young boy

But this is not the first time people adults have been filmed taking the joys of baseball away from kids.

In 2019, an elderly Iowa fan was met with a chorus of boos after he celebrated stealing a foul ball from a child during a Big Ten game.

Footage showed the pitcher throwing the foul ball, which gets hit into the seats of the stadium in Omaha. 

A child is then seen running towards the ball to keep it as a souvenir. 

But he is beaten to the mark by an elderly fan wearing Iowa gear. 

In 2019, another man went viral after he snatched a baseball up from a child in the stands 

The child has already crouched down to the ground to pick up the ball when the Iowa fan is seen bending down and snatching it from him. 

 As the man walked back to his seat he raised his arms in celebration, much to the disgust of the crowd who immediately starts booing. 

However, according to USA Today, the little boy wasn’t left empty handed. 

The youngster, an Ohio State supporter, was later gifted a baseball signed by his favorite team.