Bringing your glove to the ballpark is never a bad idea if you’re sitting down close to the action and it paid off nicely for a young man Thursday night in Anaheim.

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was at the plate in the eighth inning facing Los Angeles Angels reliever Joe Smith. Pedroia sent a line drive foul ball into the stands behind the first-base dugout where a boy raised his mitt and snagged the ball, undoubtedly saving someone in the crowd from either being hit or coming close to a painful experience.

The catch was nice enough but what made this moment even better was the crowd giving the young Boston fan a nice ovation and him soaking it in with a bow. Well done, young man.

Making a great catch and receiving an ovation from nearby fans undoubtedly made it easier for the young fan to handle the Angels’ 2-1 win over Boston in walk-off fashion on a Hanley Ramirez throwing error.

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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo