Young Washington Nationals Fan Takes Foul Ball to Head While Falling onto Field

So many things went wrong for this poor kid, all at the same time.

A young Nationals fan found himself bruised and covered in dirt after a series of unfortunate events at Nationals Park on Wednesday night.

It all began in the bottom of the sixth when Bryce Harper pieced a low foul ball over the right field line. The child—wearing a Harper shirt and a fashionable popcorn bucket on his head—leaned over the wall to snag a souvenir and instead took the ball flush in the face.

The headshot sent Bucket Boy flopping onto the field in a graceless heap. To his credit, he did not cry. He picked up his bucket, metabolized another serving of early-life trauma and retreated into the stands.

To recap, this young man went from shiny and optimistic to battered and bucketless in a matter of two seconds.

I wish I could dredge a moral out of this mess. I want to say that we can all learn a lesson from Bucket Boy's misfortune, but I’m not sure there is one to be had. If anything, this is a case study in fate's cruel whimsy. A kid puts a bucket on his head, tries to catch a foul ball and eats a Rawlings sandwich for his troubles.

Stay strong, young man. This is just how life goes. Some days you're the ball; some days you're the bucket.

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