In the third inning, Gary Matthews Jr. of the Rangers fouled a ball into the seats and a burly man leaped over a row, knocking over a 4-year-old boy with his legs, and grabbed the baseball.

The incident was caught on television cameras and the fans began to chant for the man to give the boy the ball, but he refused. Sanders saw what had occurred on a television in the clubhouse. In between innings, Sanders came out and summoned the boy and his mother to near the Cardinals' dugout and gave him a bat and ball as the crowd cheered.

ARLINGTON -- Reggie Sanders did not play Sunday for the Cardinals, but for many of the 41,087 in attendance at Ameriquest Field, he was the hero of the day.