This fan’s purse catch proves you don’t need a glove to make the play

As a fan, when a foul ball is headed in your direction, you have to think fast. If your mentality is safety first, you can dive for cover, seeking refuge under one of the hard plastic seats. Or, if you’re more souvenir-minded, you can try to catch it.

Usually, it helps if you have a baseball glove. After all, that’s what they’re for. But this woman at Sunday night’s Pirates-Cardinals game decided she didn’t need a glove to snag a ball — instead, she made the play with just her purse.

Now that’s a catch!

After Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina shanked the ball into the stands, it just magically glided into this fan’s open purse — easily the best defensive play of an otherwise mediocre game.

But also, let’s check out that celebration: She takes the ball out of the purse to show it off ... and then puts it back in for safekeeping! Talk about convenience — she probably never even needed to take it out.

So instead of following the old adage of “giving that fan a contract,” let’s just use this fan as the standard of true athleticism and hope more baseball players decide to use purses instead of gloves in the future. After all, they’re fashionable, practical, AND they clearly work just as well as any glove.