Ravens' John Harbaugh roasted by brother for missed catch at Orioles game

C.J. Doon, Baltimore Sun on Jun 12, 2025

Published in Football

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BALTIMORE — Ravens coach John Harbaugh and Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh have long been rivals on and off the field, but the brothers have never let that competition get between their relationship.

Baseball is apparently a different story.

After wrapping up the final Ravens practice of organized team activities on Wednesday, John Harbaugh attended the Orioles’ 10-1 win against the Detroit Tigers at Camden Yards and sat behind home plate next to Baltimore icon and minority team owner Cal Ripken Jr. That alone would be noteworthy for fans, but what happened next is what got everyone’s attention.

Early in the game, a foul ball drifted behind the plate and landed just behind the netting near Harbaugh and Ripken in the second row of seats near the home dugout. Neither attempted to make the catch, leading to a brief interaction between Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and his fellow Baltimore sports celebrities.

Jim Harbaugh couldn’t let that stand.

After Thursday’s practice in El Segundo, Calif., the 61-year-old Chargers coach called out his older brother for his lack of effort on the play.

“The lesson there is to keep your eye on the ball … that was a can of corn,” said Jim, who joked that he didn’t want to bring it up but returned from his session with reporters to do just that.

Jim said he would never give advice to Ripken, a Hall of Fame shortstop who set the MLB record for consecutive games played during his 21-year career in Baltimore. But he noted that his 62-year-old brother was once a “tremendous middle infielder” and lamented that he didn’t bring a glove to the game.

After canceling the Ravens’ final OTA session scheduled for Thursday, John won’t have a chance to respond publicly until next week’s mandatory minicamp. He’s had the upper hand on the field, however, going 3-0 against his younger brother, including a victory over Jim’s San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII and a 30-23 win over Los Angeles last season.