Making great catches in major league ballparks is becoming no big deal for Tanner O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan, from Andover, is the 12-year-old nephew of Red Sox catcher Ryan Hanigan. He is the kid you see in the Tweet embedded below casually snagging David Ortiz’s Opening Day sixth inning home run while seated in the first row on top of the Monster in left-center. Tanner just raised his arm and corralled the Ortiz smash like someone just threw him the ball.

“I was having an ice cream and the ball came in and I just put my glove up and caught it,” O’Sullivan said of the Ortiz HR catch.

Tanner O'Sullivan, nephew of Ryan Hanigan, catches David Ortiz's home run today https://t.co/2hnaF4XzTp — Steve Silva (@stevesilva) April 14, 2015


And this wasn’t O’Sullivan’s first great catch in a big league park. Three years ago, on May 18, 2012, O’Sullivan made a most memorable catch in Yankee Stadium. With a pick-me-up assist from his father Mark — who was a 25th-round draft pick of the Anaheim Angels in 2001 — Tanner made an amazing full extension grab of a foul ball off the bat of Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto that would land him in the No. 2 position in ESPN SportCenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Day list.

“That one was a little more entertaining,” O’Sullivan said. “My dad picks me up and I caught it. It’s on YouTube I think.”

For Tanner’s uncle — who was in the starting lineup to catch Rick Porcello for the Red Sox home opener — the Opening Day catch made a special day even better.

“It’s awesome, that’s cool,” Hanigan said after the game when told of his nephew’s catch. “He’s from a big baseball, softball family. I’ve got two nieces that both play softball and hockey, and they’re sports nuts and they love it. They got uncle Ry back in town which is cool so great day, even better day. Good thing I didn’t leave them any tickets.”


If Tanner keeps his nifty glove work up, he’ll be the one handing out tickets at a big league park someday.