Participants filled the field at Yogi Berra Stadium, officially setting the new Guinness World Record of the largest game of catch, with 1,179 pairs.
On Sunday, Sept. 21, a crowd ranging from children to adults gathered to participate in Yogi’s Big Catch Challenge. The event was organized by the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center to commemorate what would have been the baseball legend’s 100th birthday year.
The date was intentionally picked to honor Berra in two key moments of his life: it’s a day before Berra passed away in 2015 and a day before he played his first Major League Baseball game in 1946.
In order to break the record, participants had to pair up with a partner; no solo players were allowed. Each pair needed to have a baseball mitt and a ball. They needed to stand three meters apart and play a game of catch for five minutes without being on their phone.
Participants at Yogi's Big Catch event throwing the ball and catching the ball in an attempt to break the record. David Bien-Aime┃The Montclarion
Participants were allowed to drop the ball. Volunteer stewards were located around the field to assist participants and ensure they followed the rules. Stewards were responsible for monitoring pairs and deducting points in case rules are broken. This lead to the final count.
Michael Empric, an adjudicator from Guinness World Records reflected on the participation and support from the community.
“It was a great event today,” Empric said. “It was so amazing to see everyone coming out and supporting Yogi’s legacy, with his 100th anniversary being such a big moment for the community and the school.”
Michael Empric, an adjudicator from Guinness World Records during the event. David Bien-Aime┃The Montclarion
The previous record to beat was set originally in 2017 in Illinois, with 972 pairs participating. Despite the deductions, there was a total of 1,179 pairs at Yogi Berra Stadium playing catch, setting a new Guinness World Records title.
Empric mentioned his role in monitoring the count and ensuring rules were followed.
“I’m not allowed to speculate,” Empric said. “Whatever happens, happens. The organizers here are the ones who put in the legwork, do all the work the organizing. I’m just here to monitor the count, make sure all the rules are followed. And they did that flawlessly today, and got more than enough people.”
Earl Spence, a junior sports communication major who participated, expressed his excitement with the event.
“Coming to this event, I didn’t expect so [many] great things to happen,” Spence said. “I had so much fun today. I’m gonna tell [my] kids about this moment and we [are] in the record book, no one can take this away from us.”
Junior accounting major Salina Villava, also participated and shared her thoughts of the event’s turnout.
“I didn’t expect this many people,” Villava said. “It was a beautiful day to play baseball with everybody, and I’m glad we all came here to support Yogi Berra and his family.”
