MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — As the World Series continues, a Menomonee Falls mother and son are hoping to come home with a special souvenir: a baseball from the game. But for Shawn and Sue Bosman, simply being together at the ballpark may mean more than anything they could catch.
Shawn is what is known as a “ballhawk,” a fan who positions himself around the ballpark hoping to catch baseballs hit into the stands.
He’s been doing it for about 20 years and says he has caught 198 balls during Brewers games. TMJ4 News first met Shawn back in 2018 when he had caught his 85th ball.
His mom is the one who got him started.
“I stopped counting in 2010 at 300,” Sue Bosman said.
Together, the two have caught more than 500 balls at Brewers games.
A family tradition interrupted
For years, Shawn and Sue went to many games together. But that tradition was interrupted last season when Sue was diagnosed with cancer.
“I was too sick to do anything,” she said.
As Sue underwent surgery and chemotherapy, she couldn't be in the stands with her son. But Shawn found ways to keep his mom involved. During one game, Sue remembers seeing her son on television after he caught a ball.
“The camera zoomed in on him and he was holding the ball and waving and said, ‘Hi Mom,’” Sue recalled.
One especially memorable ball came from Christian Yelich’s grand slam home run in 2025.
“A lot of people ask me about that one,” Shawn said.
The ball eventually made its way to Sue’s home, where it sat on her bedside table. The baseballs Shawn brought home became reminders of the place Sue hoped to return to.
“Just think about this. There is going to be playoffs. There might be a World Series. I have to get back there,” Sue said.
Back together for the World Series
Now that Sue has finished chemotherapy, mother and son are heading back to the ballpark together, this time for the World Series. Shawn got tickets for Games 1 and 2, as well as Games 6 and 7 if the series goes that far.
Of course, the longtime ballhawks wouldn't mind adding a World Series ball to their collection.
But after the year they've been through, Shawn says catching another baseball isn't what he'll remember most.
“The hard part was getting here,” Shawn said. “Today is about enjoying it. If we so happen to be in the right place at the right time that would be pretty cool. But we are here and that is what matters.”
For a mother and son who have spent years chasing baseballs together, this World Series is about something much simpler: being back in the stands together.
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