Steve Bartman

Steve Bartman is an American baseball fan from the Chicago area who became widely known after an incident during Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field.

Steve Bartman is an American baseball fan from the Chicago area who became widely known after an incident during Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field. He reached for a foul ball while the Chicago Cubs were playing the Florida Marlins, and the play became one of the most famous and controversial moments in baseball history. Bartman later received a Cubs World Series ring in recognition of the backlash he endured.

2003 NLCS incident

Bartman reached for a foul ball down the left-field line in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series between the Cubs and Marlins. The play drew intense attention because it happened during a critical late inning and became associated with the Cubs' collapse in that game.

Public reaction

After the incident, Bartman was widely blamed by some Cubs fans and became the target of intense media coverage and public hostility. Reports say he apologized and then retreated from public view, declining interviews and staying in the Chicago area.

Later recognition

In 2017, after the Cubs won the 2016 World Series, the team presented Bartman with a commemorative ring. The gesture was framed as an acknowledgment of the harassment he had experienced after the 2003 incident.