Turns out the Artemis II astronauts weren't the only ones with a close-up view of the moon ... thousands of fans at Tropicana Field in St. Pete got a show of their own when a fan attempted to snag a foul ball!

The wild incident went down during the top of the 9th inning during the Rays vs. Cubs game in Florida, when a diehard fan literally went *all* out for a souvenir baseball.

Cubs' right fielder Matt Shaw was at the dish when he sent a fly ball into the right field stands. The fan, who was equipped with a glove, stretched to make the catch, but missed the ball ... which hit a seat, and began to bounce around on the ground.

As the guy tried to pick the ball up, his pants fell down ... mooning the 21,377 people in attendance, and everyone watching on television at home.

The moment stunned the broadcasters ... who sat in silence for nearly 25 seconds.

Crushing embarrassment aside, the fan seemed to be okay, despite taking a spill.

Adding insult to injury, the home team lost the game to the Cubbies, 9-2.

Somebody get this guy a baseball.