Sep 17, 8:01 AM (ET)
By ROB MAADDI
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Dad could not believe his good luck.
Steve Monforto made a great grab, catching his first foul ball after years of going to Phillies games. He fist-bumped his buddies, high-fived his 3-year-old daughter and then handed her the prize.
Big mistake.
Little Emily threw the ball over the railing.
Stunned by his toddler's toss Tuesday night, all Pop could do was hug her.
"I didn't want her to think she did anything wrong," Monforto said on WIP-AM radio Wednesday.
Philly crowds are known for being a tough bunch, but everyone at Citizens Bank (CZMO) Park cheered - first his catch, then his cuddle.
"This was the true reflection of what Philly fans are like," said Bonnie Clark, the team's vice president of communications.
Cameras captured the scene of Monforto reaching over the railing and snagging Jayson Werth's foul in the fifth inning against Washington.
The video was displayed at the top of the Yahoo! Web page and made the NBC national news.
The entire family traveled from their home in Laurel Springs, N.J., to appear on the "Today" show Thursday. Steve Monforto said he was surprised at the flurry of attention their day at the ballpark has attracted.
He said he didn't consider the possibility that Emily might toss his treasure. "At the time I was just excited to give it to her," said Monforto, a season-ticket holder who shares games with friends.
"I've been waiting so long to catch a foul ball, and over the edge it goes," he said with a laugh.
Monforto, 32, and his daughter still went home with a baseball, brought to them in the stands by Phillies executive Mike Stiles.
On Thursday at the "Today" show, they got another ball - this one signed by outfielder Jayson Werth, who hit the foul ball in the fifth inning that made the Monforto family famous.
The family of four also received personalized Phillies jerseys.
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