Caregiver Josh Lakos (R) holds up a foul ball he caught just before it hit his client, Paul (L), during Game 1 of the 2012 World Series at AT&T Park in San Francisco, October 24, 2012. (CBS)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – On the pitch before he hit his record-tying third home run during Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, San Francisco Giants 3rd baseman Pablo Sandoval lined a screaming foul back into the stands.

As it rocketed straight toward the face of a disabled fan in a wheelchair, his caregiver caught it barehanded.

“I stand up, and I grabbed it and it just happened to go in my hand, and the rest is history. I looked down. I was in disbelief,” said Josh Lakos of Petaluma.

KCBS’ Doug Sovern Reports:



That line drive behind home plate, not Panda’s three homers, will be the enduring memory of Game 1 for Lakos and his client, Paul, who has cerebral palsy.

“If didn’t catch it, it could have hit him right in the face,” Lakos said.

Instead Paul was smiling all night.

“It’s what I strive for when I’m working with him,” Lakos said.

And the two took home a World Series souvenir snagged in what might have been a life-saving grab.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)