Giants fan retrieves home run ball from water, dedicates it to his mom

Mother’s Day got a little misty in McCovey Cove.

When Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski launched a sixth-inning solo home run out of the park and into into the water at McCovey Cove — a “splash hit” — it ended up being the winning run in a 4-3 final over the Cardinals, and a touching moment for one fan.

Dave Edlund, a regular in the water outside San Francisco’s Oracle Park known as McCovey Cove Dave, picked up the ball and became choked up while he dedicated it to his late mother.

“Mike Yaztermski just hit ‘Splash Hit’ no. 93,” he said. “And it landed right in front of me here. And Mom, I know you’re up in heaven, here’s a Mother’s Day ball to you. You’re the best… mom ever.”

Edlund is no stranger to the water outside Oracle Park: He counts over 100 balls in his collection culled from the Cove. He has his own bobblehead available for purchase and studies opposing pitchers in order to most quickly get more baseballs for his collection.

“This is the fastest kayak at McCovey Cove, even though I’m probably the oldest guy,” the “65-plus” Edlund told KQED in 2021. “It’s very narrow and it gives me a little bit of an advantage.”

He counts Carlos Beltran’s 300th home run and the 1,000th long ball ever hit at Oracle Park among his memorabilia pulled from the Cove.

“Been a fan of the Giants for over 50 years, but I’m a pretty good kayaker and I love the home run, and the tickets are free. You can come to McCovey Cove and get a home run ball without paying a dime,” he says. “And I’ve done it for a long time.”