Blue Jays fan with perfect name misses Aaron Judge’s 61st home run ball

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 28: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits his 61st home run of the season in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 28, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Judge has now tied Roger Maris for the American League record. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 28: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits his 61st home run of the season in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 28, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Judge has now tied Roger Maris for the American League record. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) /
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Hey … hey, come here, real close. Sit down. I want to tell you a piece of information that will literally stick with you the rest of your life.

Remember when you learned your ABCs? Remember the first time you heard another kid call the teacher “Mom”? Remember where you were when you learned that picture of Jason Derulo falling down the stairs at the Met Gala was just some other guy? This is one of those moments.

Because Yankees slugger Aaron Judge finally hit his 61st home run of the season on Wednesday night in Toronto, in front of Roger Maris Jr. and his mother, and more directly in front of a Toronto Blue Jays fan (and restauranteur) named Frankie Lasagna.

The man. Who had the Judge ball. Go in and out of his glove before it dropped into the bullpen. Is named. Frankie Lasagna.

He owns. A restaurant. And wanted Judge to come over and grab a plate to negotiate. If he’d caught the ball. Frankie Lasagna. You will never forget this.

Blue Jays fan Frankie Lasagna missed Aaron Judge’s home run ball, T. Shoulda rooted for the Yankees.

Mr. Lasagna has become Twitter’s main character over the past 24 hours for good reason. His anguished face, oh-so-close stretch and dropping of the million-dollar proverbial bag into the bullpen has been meme’d to death, and also, he shares a name with a layered pasta dish.

The man himself, though, calmed down in the moment’s aftermath and shared some deep (and mournful) thoughts with the Toronto press. He’s just a man. A man with an incredible moniker.

"“I would never ever bring a glove other than this situation,” Lasagna said. “I needed a bigger one.”The 37-year-old Toronto restaurant owner came agonizingly close to catching the historic ball after Judge went deep in the seventh inning.Lasagna stretched over the railing but the ball hit the wall just below and bounced into the Toronto bullpen. He put both hands on top of his head after the near-miss, a frustrated look etched on his face.“Two more feet and I would have had it,” he said. “I needed a fishing net and I would have got it.”"

You hear that, T? Guy says he needed a fishing net. Fishing for compliments, if you ask me.

So, if you’re ever in Toronto, be a good guy and drop by Frankie Lasagna’s restaurant. After the amount of joy he’s provided this week — and the amount of lost dollars that have ended up on Aaron Judge’s mom’s mantelpiece — he’s earned your business.

God, how is this real?