In a joyous celebration of baseball and community, a crowd of 2,358 people gathered at Yogi Berra Stadium on Sunday to set a new Guinness World Record for the “Largest Game of Catch.”
The event, dubbed “Yogi’s Big Catch,” was organized by the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center to honor the 100th anniversary of the legendary Hall of Famer’s birth. On a sunny, 72-degree day, the atmosphere was a perfect blend of nostalgia and shared experience. Parents and children, siblings, friends, and even former Major Leaguers paired up on the turf field, all with the simple goal of playing catch.
The 1,179 pairs of participants lined up three meters apart and for five minutes, they tossed a baseball back and forth. The only two rules were that participants could not roll the ball and they could not use their smartphones. The event’s executive director, Eve Schaenen, wanted the focus to be on connection and fun, a fitting tribute to a man who famously said, “You can observe a lot by just watching.”
The historic feat officially shattered the previous record of 972 pairs, or 1,944 individuals, set at a Father’s Day event in South Barrington, Illinois in 2017. As soon as the final count was verified by Guinness World Records adjudicator Michael Empric, the crowd erupted in cheers, celebrating a new record and a timeless tradition.
