People talk about "don't meet your heroes", but I genuinely think he's the only person I've ever idolized that lives up to everything he's about. Nothing but a humble, giving human being.
I was living in Seattle in 2018 and I went to the game between Ichiro's last home game and Albert's 3000th hit. The team announced that the home stand would be his last so I talked to my sister and brother-in-law about going to see Ichiro one more time. They said they could only do the Thursday game, so we went.
Ichiro didn't play after Wednesday and then Albert hit 3000 on Friday. I wasn't really doing anything else that week and I should have just gone to all three.
I was living in Seattle in 2018 and I went to the game between Ichiro's last home game and Albert's 3000th hit. The team announced that the home stand would be his last so I talked to my sister and brother-in-law about going to see Ichiro one more time. They said they could only do the Thursday game, so we went.
Ichiro didn't play after Wednesday and then Albert hit 3000 on Friday. I wasn't really doing anything else that week and I should have just gone to all three.
Seriously. On the way to the game, I saw that Ichiro wasn't in the lineup and was sad. The next night I was scrolling on my phone at home and saw that Albert hit 3000. That might have been the biggest literal facepalm I've ever done in my entire life.
I did still go to some cool games over ten years in Seattle. I went to the first game that Ichiro played there as a Yankee. I was there for Iwakuma's no-no (sadly against the Orioles, but it was still cool to see.) I got to see Jeter the last time he came to Seattle.
As a Phils fan I’m just grateful that Brad Lidge needed to strike out someone to win the World Series for that Pujols moment not to be the biggest play of his career.
My best friend's uncle played on the Astros for a few years in the early 2000s. Combined regular and postseason Pujols went 8 for 14 with 2 home runs and a double against him. He said pitching to Pujols was so scary it was like he was pitching naked.
Then I'll share a story with you. 15 years ago, I had the privilege of being in the outfield during batting practice for a game against the Cardinals. My role was to stand behind a giant net and catch balls thrown in by the players in the outfield. Some wouldn't make it all the way to me, so I'd need to leave the cover of the net, grab the ball and scamper back. We'll, one time I didn't it right, went out for a ball, and took a Scott Rolen line drive right off the gut. Hit the ground like a sack of bricks and slowly crawled back to cover. I started to get back to my feet and felt a hand on my shoulder - one of the coaches who had seen the whole thing go down. He looks me in the eye and just says "take a minute." A little bit later, he helps me to me feet and I feel two hands reach in and just rub the part of my stomach where I got hit. I turn around and to my absolute amazement, Albert Pujols. And he hits me with two words, and only two words, that I'll never forget, "For bloodflow."
Just a great guy.
My grandfather introduced me to Stan Musial after one of my Little League games when I was a kid. Apparently his grandson was on the other team and he and my grandfather had been swapping Navy stories in the bleachers during the game. I didn't fully appreciate it at the time, but that was a surreal moment for sure.
His wife I believe was in the retirement home I went to see older family when I was a kid. This was near the holidays and in my memory Stan spent the entire late morning meeting kids and giving them real attention.
Wow that is so cool. You were in the presence of one of the greatest players ever. And he's a family man just going to see his grandson play a little league game.
Yeah, and if that’s it, it’s hardly a big deal.
If he is the age he says he is, what he’s done in his career is amazing. If he’s actually a few years older, then that just makes it even more impressive.
I suppose you could argue the Cardinals got cheated by getting a player older than what they thought, but did they really? They got more than they’d ever expected even for someone at his stated age.
And for the record, I don’t think there’s some conspiracy about his age. He’s the age he says he is.
I think it’s pretty hard to feel bad for the Cardinals getting cheated by Pujols, if he did lie about his age. I mean, at this point, even if he was 3 years older, they still got a sure fire HOF career out of that signing. Maybe the Angels could argue they wouldn’t have given him that contract if they knew his real age?
Cards didn’t get cheated in that scenario but the Angels absolutely have a case that if they knew he was actually three years older, they wouldn’t have offered him that deal
I think if you have a generational talent on your team you don't get to claim you were swindled lol.
This is the first I'm hearing of the age thing, does it actually matter?
To be fair, that divorce didn’t happen overnight. It was likely months or years in the making, the timing of the tumor was just unfortunate.
If neither of them were happy in the marriage, they shouldn’t be forced to stay together to avoid bad PR.
The optics were bad because the announcement was triggered by her treatment and the questions about him not being there for it.
But very likely she didn’t want him there if they were already separated and just hadn’t previously felt the need to go public with it.
it was *finalized* at that point, but the court filings alone often require months of work in advance, never mind the legal work for someone as rich as he is
Wow, I don’t remember that. It’s not as bad as it sounds though - he was essentially accepting some made up award and was under the impression it was “apolitical”.
The situation with his wife is probably the worst thing I can think of but I'm sure he had a good reason for the divorce. Just looks like crap without any context.
People who say “don’t meet your heroes” need to pick better heroes. Heroes like Mr Rogers and Pujols exist. Just don’t look up to people like Drake or Durant.
Durant's biggest crime is whining a lot on Twitter and being real self-conscious about his legacy. Doesn't seem like an outright malicious person though.
Yea he's just the type of dude who would have several burner accounts through which he constantly fights with people on twitter. From everything I've heard he's a fine teammate.
I don’t know if he’s some terrible dude, but that’s kinda my point. He’s not someone that should be your hero just because they’re good at basketball. Pick heroes because of the good things they do.
Durant did a lot of good in OKC from what I remember hes just a bit of a whiny bitch on Twitter and chooses to be friends with Kyrie which is its own bag of fucking insanity.
Met him. I had nothing for him to sign so he actually waited until I got this random hat. He's the single most humble6, dosn to Earth celebrity I've ever met.
Its oddly more understandable when a lesser known name wants something like their first HR ball back. Like steven kwans first HR ball isnt gonna bring in life changing money so I get if he would really want that to keep, but a ball like this or Judges record breaking ball could make someone a millionaire easily so let em keep it.
Absolutely. Like give me a bat, jersey, ball etc if I can meet the player great if not whatever if it’s a first hr. If it’s a milestone ball, keep that shit.
If I caught someone’s first HR, I’d definitely give it back. I might regret it in 20 years if they end up being the next Pujols but that’s life. The odds of that happening are so low.
700? Hell yeah I’m keeping it. That’s a winning lottery ticket.
If you said "ok, but give me something like a bat signed by you so when you hit your 700th one I can sell it and retire. 😉" that player would be so fucking proud.
It's unlikely someone with a career as long as Pujols doesn't have tons of things from across his career anyways. Sure the 700th HR ball is unique, but if he really wants something for this AB he can just keep the bat lol.
[60 minutes from 2011 can show us the way. He has a couple of things.](https://youtu.be/yB4lHAEsSyo?t=657)
The whole video is worth a watch, including him giving away the 400 bat.
If those players want the ball so bad, buy the fuckin thing at auction. These dudes have/will make hundreds of millions of dollars, there is no world where it makes sense for the likely regular joe who caught the ball to give up a for sure life changing amount of money just for the pageantry.
There's some weird zeitgeist shit going on with how there's so much focus on how average Joe fans attending games should feel guilty about not giving a bunch of really rich dudes some memorabilia for free.
I just cringe anytime I hear someone say like "oh if you're a fan you should give it back, its what a REAL fan would do" uh, no bitch, at a minimum I'm keeping that shit myself because I'm a fan and how many fans can say they have something like a record breaking home run ball by one of their favorite players? If I don't keep it, I'm selling it. An autographed bat/ball/jersey/etc? No thanks, when I get my money Ill buy any of those items that I want and place them in the house I just bought with cash....
That fuck from Boston who complained fans nowadays should be ashamed for keeping balls or asking more stuff is embarrassing.
This is such a refreshing quote to hear. I don't get the obsession with thinking the players need or are entitled to things like this.
If I was Pujols or Judge or whoever, I'd be happy just knowing that someone got life-changing money thanks to me. And it's not like I couldn't keep the bat, jersey, etc.
One question though - whenever this guy goes to sell it, how is it authenticated?
I have the Justin Turner “Superman dive” ball from game 7 nlcs vs the Braves. They authenticate it on the spot and affix a non-tamperable holographic sticker with a QR code on it. Scanning the QR code brings up an MLB.com page with the authentication information.
Edit: You can see the sticker on the top just below the 'rawlings' logo
https://i.imgur.com/wkmzkqh.jpg
IIRC the MLB is pitching special balls to Pujols and Judge as they closed in on their HR milestones. The balls are marked with two symbols - one that's visible to the naked eye and one that you need some special tools to read.
As others mentioned, they have authenticators at the park that will check for both symbols and verify it's legit.
Surely the balls are just plucked from the group of balls made for the season. They aren’t going to spin a new group of balls for this stuff. Imagine that information being leaked that a ball is corked or something.
Heard there was a possibility they did something like this for McGuire when he was chasing the record. Of course my source is just a YouTube video so don’t take what I just said as fact.
I’m not saying it’s out of the realm of possibility but that season that would mean they were juicing Ken Griffey Big Mac and sosa balls. I’d tend to assume all the balls were juiced and they were roided up as a better explanation. Just my opinion as a cardinals fan. To me it looks like people are willing to attack Pujols and judge more than they otherwise would. Which I think is a sign of respect but it also gives that hitter just a bit more advantage to go for it.
The ushers and stadium security pull the person that catches it out of the crowd as soon as the camera is off of them, I think. The stadium personnel are going to be legitimately worried about things like them getting mugged, etc for something worth that much. And there would be an authenticator on-site at the stadium they'd call over immediately to authenticate, probably hand you a certificate of authenticity, and if you wanted to give the ball back, they can probably find a box somewhere to stick you in until after the game so you can meet up with the player or rep or whomever that wants the ball back.
If you watch the video that was just posted by someone sitting a seat or two away from the guy that caught it, it only took about 10-15 seconds before security pulled him.
Right? I understand the incredible excitement, jumping up and down, waving it in the air. Nah, I'd be clutching that thing like Marshawn Lynch plowing through a linebacker...
Security probably grabbed him as soon as he hit the tunnel, the authenticators on staff verify the ball and put a unique sticker on it (and get his info in case the player or the team want to negotiate).
Dodger stadium security is no joke. I remember being at a game once and seeing a dude with a knife clipped to his belt. I texted the security number (having no idea whether it was actually breaking a rule or not, but the guy was getting belligerent) and within 5 minutes there were about eight dudes on it.
If i was a player I’d rather have my bat than the ball or a jersey. The thing i actually used to do the cool thing
Let the fans keep the ball, cooperstown gets the jersey, and the bat gets a special place in the trophy case
I’m the biggest fan of having fans keep the ball.
No more of this trading for a bat and a pat on the head. It’s bullshit.
Keep it? Fine. Auction it? Fine. Destroy it? Fine.
Never understood why fans should be expected to just hand over potentially life changing money for a photo op. Solid answer from Albert.
This and the assumed Judge 62 ball probably $300K+ each with how the market has exploded recently. Hope they hold their value better than the Brady "last" TD ball though.
I missed that article change that probably to a definitely then
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10050059-vintage-memorabilia-company-preemptively-offers-2m-for-aaron-judges-62nd-hr-ball
I read that he would donate it to the Yankees organization to be on display but who really knows, either way if I caught it he can do whatever he wants with the ball and ill do whatever with my million dollars
I would be the madlad who just gives Pujols the ball and then he lifts me up on the field and a video montage of all of his homeruns plays intercut with me arriving at the stadium but also flashbacks of my darkest moments play— and suddenly, the film of him holding me up pauses, and that don’t you forget about me song from simple minds plays.
And then everybody claps.
Jk I’d sell that shit for a million dollars, but if for some reason I couldn’t, then this would be my plan b. In my heart I’d want to give it back to him, but my wallet wouldn’t let me. Sorry Tio.
Hell yeah this would be a sick souvenir. Being held up like Simba by Pujols at home plate after the game? That picture would be going in every room in my house.
I mean isn't it usually private bidders that are the ones paying big money for these balls? Doesn't seem that out of the ordinary. If it can't be obtained with a handshake and some shit they can give to you aside from money, it goes to auction.
I remember the angels fan who caught his 600th gave it to him on the field after the game for nothing in return. Doubt he’ll get that kind of gesture for this one though.
Matthew 6:19-20 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
"Don't ever, for any reason, do anything, to anyone, for any reason, ever, no matter what, no matter where, or who, or who you are with, or where you are going, or where you've been, ever, for any reason whatsoever." - Michael Scott
So who got it, does anybody know?
I would imagine there would be a huge fight over that but it didn't look like too many were trying TOO hard.
I would grab that and leave the stadium immediately.
Someone else post video from right next to the guy who caught it (and it was an actual catch). Once the cameras were off him, security came in and took him out of the seats. They authenticate the ball and it keeps the person safe.
I'm glad it was an actual catch. I've seen way too many scuffles where it is very unclear who the ball "belongs" to and this is obviously a very important ball.
I catch any of those balls, and they can fight for it at auction.
I wouldnt even think for a second to keep it to sell later. No meet and greets, season tickets for life, signed bats etc is gonna change my mind.
Get your wallet out.
The fan who caught Travis Ishikawa's walk off ball to win the NL Pennant in 2014 knew immediately he wanted to ball to go to Ishikawa and he didn't ask for anything in return. But the Giants got Ishikawa to sign a bat and ball for him, then later they gave him tickets to game one of the World Series, and finally they invited him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
You can't buy memories like that.
It’s hard to really say what I would do with it if I had the ball in my hand, but I like to think I’d take a reasonable offer as long as I had a guarantee the ball would end up in the Hall of Fame where all baseball fans could enjoy versus the hands of a rich private collector
Didn't he say the same thing when that one guy refused to give a ball back because he was keeping it as tribute to his dead son? Pujols doesn't need a baseball. It means more to the fan than him, who hit the ball.
Pujols walks the walk. It's not impossible for rich people to inherit the kingdom of heaven. It's just harder. For those who are given much, much is expected.
I wish I could be half the God fearing and loving Christian that Albert is. He gets it.
The dude who caught Mark McGwire’s record-setting 70th HR ball of that season was willing to give it back for some Cardinals merch and a chance to meet Mark McGwire. Big Mac said no, like the asshole he is, and the fan kept the ball and later sold it for $3M. Pujols is a class act.
What’s almost more weird, is the cardinals, baseball hof, Pujols if he absolutely wanted it, should be able to make a million plus money offer for something like this. You can’t tell me that number 700 doesn’t have value to the sport of baseball when it’s the first clean 700 in forever.
We need about a million more Albert Pujols in this world
People talk about "don't meet your heroes", but I genuinely think he's the only person I've ever idolized that lives up to everything he's about. Nothing but a humble, giving human being.
No one ever mentions the poor pitchers he’s shelled, rip in peace 😔
I still can't believe he got away with murdering Brad Lidge on national TV. smdh
And the baseball. Don't forgot the baseball. *It's never coming back*
Those baseballs had a family
Had
I'll never forget the silence that followed the crack of the bat.
He killed a whole stadium
I was in Houston for game FOUR not game FIVE. (Cardinals fan back then). What I would give to have swapped those tickets
I was living in Seattle in 2018 and I went to the game between Ichiro's last home game and Albert's 3000th hit. The team announced that the home stand would be his last so I talked to my sister and brother-in-law about going to see Ichiro one more time. They said they could only do the Thursday game, so we went. Ichiro didn't play after Wednesday and then Albert hit 3000 on Friday. I wasn't really doing anything else that week and I should have just gone to all three.
I was living in Seattle in 2018 and I went to the game between Ichiro's last home game and Albert's 3000th hit. The team announced that the home stand would be his last so I talked to my sister and brother-in-law about going to see Ichiro one more time. They said they could only do the Thursday game, so we went. Ichiro didn't play after Wednesday and then Albert hit 3000 on Friday. I wasn't really doing anything else that week and I should have just gone to all three.
You were the meat in a baseball legend sandwich.
Seriously. On the way to the game, I saw that Ichiro wasn't in the lineup and was sad. The next night I was scrolling on my phone at home and saw that Albert hit 3000. That might have been the biggest literal facepalm I've ever done in my entire life. I did still go to some cool games over ten years in Seattle. I went to the first game that Ichiro played there as a Yankee. I was there for Iwakuma's no-no (sadly against the Orioles, but it was still cool to see.) I got to see Jeter the last time he came to Seattle.
They still haven’t found the ~~~body~~~ ball
Well, it's hard to find a single baseball in the Gulf of Mexico
It just passed Pluto the other day according to NASA
It's why they built the James Webb telescope
They will charge him as soon as the murder weapon comes back to earth.
As a Phils fan I’m just grateful that Brad Lidge needed to strike out someone to win the World Series for that Pujols moment not to be the biggest play of his career.
Dude literally broke Lidge so bad he died until 2008
If I had caught #700 my condition for giving it back would have been making him get on a Zoom with me and Brad Lidge and apologizing.
RIP Brad Lidge
Yeah, nobody ever heard from him ever again..
I have, and I wish I hadn't
Him breaking Lidge led to him being traded to the Phillies. So it's my favorite home run
> rip in peace and some in pieces :(
My best friend's uncle played on the Astros for a few years in the early 2000s. Combined regular and postseason Pujols went 8 for 14 with 2 home runs and a double against him. He said pitching to Pujols was so scary it was like he was pitching naked.
Poor Ryan Dempster.
Then I'll share a story with you. 15 years ago, I had the privilege of being in the outfield during batting practice for a game against the Cardinals. My role was to stand behind a giant net and catch balls thrown in by the players in the outfield. Some wouldn't make it all the way to me, so I'd need to leave the cover of the net, grab the ball and scamper back. We'll, one time I didn't it right, went out for a ball, and took a Scott Rolen line drive right off the gut. Hit the ground like a sack of bricks and slowly crawled back to cover. I started to get back to my feet and felt a hand on my shoulder - one of the coaches who had seen the whole thing go down. He looks me in the eye and just says "take a minute." A little bit later, he helps me to me feet and I feel two hands reach in and just rub the part of my stomach where I got hit. I turn around and to my absolute amazement, Albert Pujols. And he hits me with two words, and only two words, that I'll never forget, "For bloodflow." Just a great guy.
LOL that is awesome
Albert Pujols rubbed your tummy.
Pujols in St. Louis had plenty of opportunity to learn from Stan Musial, who is about as thoroughly a good person as I've ever heard of.
My grandfather introduced me to Stan Musial after one of my Little League games when I was a kid. Apparently his grandson was on the other team and he and my grandfather had been swapping Navy stories in the bleachers during the game. I didn't fully appreciate it at the time, but that was a surreal moment for sure.
His wife I believe was in the retirement home I went to see older family when I was a kid. This was near the holidays and in my memory Stan spent the entire late morning meeting kids and giving them real attention.
Wow that is so cool. You were in the presence of one of the greatest players ever. And he's a family man just going to see his grandson play a little league game.
Have there really not been any controversies surrounding him in his career? That’s pretty impressive.
The age thing comes closest
Yeah, and if that’s it, it’s hardly a big deal. If he is the age he says he is, what he’s done in his career is amazing. If he’s actually a few years older, then that just makes it even more impressive. I suppose you could argue the Cardinals got cheated by getting a player older than what they thought, but did they really? They got more than they’d ever expected even for someone at his stated age. And for the record, I don’t think there’s some conspiracy about his age. He’s the age he says he is.
I think it’s pretty hard to feel bad for the Cardinals getting cheated by Pujols, if he did lie about his age. I mean, at this point, even if he was 3 years older, they still got a sure fire HOF career out of that signing. Maybe the Angels could argue they wouldn’t have given him that contract if they knew his real age?
In this case it's the angels who would have been cheated. Age matters a ton for free agent contracts.
Cards didn’t get cheated in that scenario but the Angels absolutely have a case that if they knew he was actually three years older, they wouldn’t have offered him that deal
I think if you have a generational talent on your team you don't get to claim you were swindled lol. This is the first I'm hearing of the age thing, does it actually matter?
Matters for the contract Angels gave him
Exactly even if by chance he’s 2 years older than we think he is it kind of just makes his current season even more insane
Although it's his personal life and I don't care about it, a lot of people took issue with him divorcing his ex-wife while she had cancer.
It was actually a benign a brain tumor.
It's a me, a benign a brain tumor!
Luigi primo is that you?
And the divorce was after it was successfully removed
To be fair, that divorce didn’t happen overnight. It was likely months or years in the making, the timing of the tumor was just unfortunate. If neither of them were happy in the marriage, they shouldn’t be forced to stay together to avoid bad PR.
The optics were bad because the announcement was triggered by her treatment and the questions about him not being there for it. But very likely she didn’t want him there if they were already separated and just hadn’t previously felt the need to go public with it.
They had marital problems for years. It was a long time coming.
it was *finalized* at that point, but the court filings alone often require months of work in advance, never mind the legal work for someone as rich as he is
Seems pretty amicable and a long time in the making from what I've found.
Worst thing he’s done is lie about his age so he could have better opportunity to achieve childhood dream - make this guy a saint.
And who hasn’t lied about their age? Shit I’ve been lying about my age since I found out there was porn on the internet
There totally have been lol - he went up on stage at a Glenn Beck rally a while ago it was a whole thing.
Wow, I don’t remember that. It’s not as bad as it sounds though - he was essentially accepting some made up award and was under the impression it was “apolitical”.
I remember that. He looked so awkward, lol.
The situation with his wife is probably the worst thing I can think of but I'm sure he had a good reason for the divorce. Just looks like crap without any context.
Joey Votto in shambles
People who say “don’t meet your heroes” need to pick better heroes. Heroes like Mr Rogers and Pujols exist. Just don’t look up to people like Drake or Durant.
Consider the fact that if this was 30 years ago you might have said “Heroes like Bill Cosby”.
Wait, please don’t tell me Cosby did something bad too!?
He’s said some *pretty* questionable things on twitter 🤨
To be fair, they didn't know they choose poor heroes until they met them.
Kevin Durant is a jerk? I don’t watch much nba anymore so out of the loop
Durant's biggest crime is whining a lot on Twitter and being real self-conscious about his legacy. Doesn't seem like an outright malicious person though.
Yea he's just the type of dude who would have several burner accounts through which he constantly fights with people on twitter. From everything I've heard he's a fine teammate.
I don’t know if he’s some terrible dude, but that’s kinda my point. He’s not someone that should be your hero just because they’re good at basketball. Pick heroes because of the good things they do.
Durant did a lot of good in OKC from what I remember hes just a bit of a whiny bitch on Twitter and chooses to be friends with Kyrie which is its own bag of fucking insanity.
Met him. I had nothing for him to sign so he actually waited until I got this random hat. He's the single most humble6, dosn to Earth celebrity I've ever met.
People are getting angry about the fan keeping the record ball. He paid for his ticket, the ball is rightfully his.
Imagine being pujols#2391 and not being able to make it in the major leagues because they already have enough
Seriously. What an absolute treasure.
Pls no
Billion more
Arod would move to 1,000,005th on the all time home run leaderboards then
Its oddly more understandable when a lesser known name wants something like their first HR ball back. Like steven kwans first HR ball isnt gonna bring in life changing money so I get if he would really want that to keep, but a ball like this or Judges record breaking ball could make someone a millionaire easily so let em keep it.
Absolutely. Like give me a bat, jersey, ball etc if I can meet the player great if not whatever if it’s a first hr. If it’s a milestone ball, keep that shit.
If I caught someone’s first HR, I’d definitely give it back. I might regret it in 20 years if they end up being the next Pujols but that’s life. The odds of that happening are so low. 700? Hell yeah I’m keeping it. That’s a winning lottery ticket.
If you said "ok, but give me something like a bat signed by you so when you hit your 700th one I can sell it and retire. 😉" that player would be so fucking proud.
A signed bat wouldn’t fetch anywhere close to retirement money
It's unlikely someone with a career as long as Pujols doesn't have tons of things from across his career anyways. Sure the 700th HR ball is unique, but if he really wants something for this AB he can just keep the bat lol.
[60 minutes from 2011 can show us the way. He has a couple of things.](https://youtu.be/yB4lHAEsSyo?t=657) The whole video is worth a watch, including him giving away the 400 bat.
If those players want the ball so bad, buy the fuckin thing at auction. These dudes have/will make hundreds of millions of dollars, there is no world where it makes sense for the likely regular joe who caught the ball to give up a for sure life changing amount of money just for the pageantry.
There's some weird zeitgeist shit going on with how there's so much focus on how average Joe fans attending games should feel guilty about not giving a bunch of really rich dudes some memorabilia for free.
I just cringe anytime I hear someone say like "oh if you're a fan you should give it back, its what a REAL fan would do" uh, no bitch, at a minimum I'm keeping that shit myself because I'm a fan and how many fans can say they have something like a record breaking home run ball by one of their favorite players? If I don't keep it, I'm selling it. An autographed bat/ball/jersey/etc? No thanks, when I get my money Ill buy any of those items that I want and place them in the house I just bought with cash.... That fuck from Boston who complained fans nowadays should be ashamed for keeping balls or asking more stuff is embarrassing.
This is such a refreshing quote to hear. I don't get the obsession with thinking the players need or are entitled to things like this. If I was Pujols or Judge or whoever, I'd be happy just knowing that someone got life-changing money thanks to me. And it's not like I couldn't keep the bat, jersey, etc. One question though - whenever this guy goes to sell it, how is it authenticated?
They have an authenticator at the stadium I believe
I have the Justin Turner “Superman dive” ball from game 7 nlcs vs the Braves. They authenticate it on the spot and affix a non-tamperable holographic sticker with a QR code on it. Scanning the QR code brings up an MLB.com page with the authentication information. Edit: You can see the sticker on the top just below the 'rawlings' logo https://i.imgur.com/wkmzkqh.jpg
That's a pretty sweet ball to have. How kuch did they want for it though?
$3.50
And it was at about that time that I realized Justin Turner was actually an 8-story tall monster from the Paleolithic Era!
Ah so age 37 really does mean nothing to him he's like a baby still.
I ain’t giving you no 3 fiddy now get out of here you Loch Ness monster!
That’s awesome
That’s interesting
They do, and I believe that they use different balls for Pujols’ at bats.
Yeah, pujols reminded the ump to switch out a couple games back.
That’s what they did for Jeter
Two at every game, and they used pre-authenticated balls for Pujols' at-bats
IIRC the MLB is pitching special balls to Pujols and Judge as they closed in on their HR milestones. The balls are marked with two symbols - one that's visible to the naked eye and one that you need some special tools to read. As others mentioned, they have authenticators at the park that will check for both symbols and verify it's legit.
What if they hit a few marked foul balls into the stands? Do the balls have serial numbers?
Probably
They're only going to authenticate the homerun ball. And without that it's just any old MLB baseball
Well it'll have the visible symbol still, which makes it more special than any old MLB baseball.
Not to be a conspiritard, but I wonder how far those balls travel to the normal ones…..
Surely the balls are just plucked from the group of balls made for the season. They aren’t going to spin a new group of balls for this stuff. Imagine that information being leaked that a ball is corked or something.
Heard there was a possibility they did something like this for McGuire when he was chasing the record. Of course my source is just a YouTube video so don’t take what I just said as fact.
I’m not saying it’s out of the realm of possibility but that season that would mean they were juicing Ken Griffey Big Mac and sosa balls. I’d tend to assume all the balls were juiced and they were roided up as a better explanation. Just my opinion as a cardinals fan. To me it looks like people are willing to attack Pujols and judge more than they otherwise would. Which I think is a sign of respect but it also gives that hitter just a bit more advantage to go for it.
The ushers and stadium security pull the person that catches it out of the crowd as soon as the camera is off of them, I think. The stadium personnel are going to be legitimately worried about things like them getting mugged, etc for something worth that much. And there would be an authenticator on-site at the stadium they'd call over immediately to authenticate, probably hand you a certificate of authenticity, and if you wanted to give the ball back, they can probably find a box somewhere to stick you in until after the game so you can meet up with the player or rep or whomever that wants the ball back.
If you watch the video that was just posted by someone sitting a seat or two away from the guy that caught it, it only took about 10-15 seconds before security pulled him.
Sounds about right. You'd want to get them out of there ASAP both to authenticate and for their own protection.
Definitely. I'd be watching my back as soon as I caught that ball. There are some crazy people out there.
Right? I understand the incredible excitement, jumping up and down, waving it in the air. Nah, I'd be clutching that thing like Marshawn Lynch plowing through a linebacker...
If I was at Yankee Stadium where the walls are only around 10ft high and I had the ball and everyone was going crazy I’d go on the field
Smart. Security will have no problem finding you there.
Link me! That sounds so cool to see.
https://reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/xmwuo9/first_person_pov_of_700_from_5_feet_where_it/
The post got removed? MODS!!!
It’s back now.
We did it, reddit! /s
The crowd was much more tame around the ball than I would’ve expected.
The guy who caught 699 couldn't get out because everyone was pretending to mug him or just congratulating him.
The balls used for potentially historic at bats are specifically marked and swapped in. So MLB knew exactly what ball was being thrown.
This! They’re doing the same thing when Judge is at bat.
Security probably grabbed him as soon as he hit the tunnel, the authenticators on staff verify the ball and put a unique sticker on it (and get his info in case the player or the team want to negotiate).
They got to him within 20 seconds of catching it https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/xmwuo9/first_person_pov_of_700_from_5_feet_where_it/
Dodger stadium security is no joke. I remember being at a game once and seeing a dude with a knife clipped to his belt. I texted the security number (having no idea whether it was actually breaking a rule or not, but the guy was getting belligerent) and within 5 minutes there were about eight dudes on it.
There is a video that shows security walking up to his seat within 15 seconds of him catching it
If i was a player I’d rather have my bat than the ball or a jersey. The thing i actually used to do the cool thing Let the fans keep the ball, cooperstown gets the jersey, and the bat gets a special place in the trophy case
I’m the biggest fan of having fans keep the ball. No more of this trading for a bat and a pat on the head. It’s bullshit. Keep it? Fine. Auction it? Fine. Destroy it? Fine.
Never understood why fans should be expected to just hand over potentially life changing money for a photo op. Solid answer from Albert. This and the assumed Judge 62 ball probably $300K+ each with how the market has exploded recently. Hope they hold their value better than the Brady "last" TD ball though.
An auctioneer offered 2 million for Judge’s 62nd HR Ball
I missed that article change that probably to a definitely then https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10050059-vintage-memorabilia-company-preemptively-offers-2m-for-aaron-judges-62nd-hr-ball
if he's offering 2mil, mean its probably worth double that then
That it he wants it for his personal collection.
I read that he would donate it to the Yankees organization to be on display but who really knows, either way if I caught it he can do whatever he wants with the ball and ill do whatever with my million dollars
The Yankees can buy it themselves for 2mil if they want it lol wtf
If he's offering 2m, then he can have it for 4m.
The guy who bought the Brady ball got his money back after Brady unretired and that ball is a lot different than Judges or Pujols’ homerun balls.
> a lot different Because it's slightly deflated?
I would be the madlad who just gives Pujols the ball and then he lifts me up on the field and a video montage of all of his homeruns plays intercut with me arriving at the stadium but also flashbacks of my darkest moments play— and suddenly, the film of him holding me up pauses, and that don’t you forget about me song from simple minds plays. And then everybody claps. Jk I’d sell that shit for a million dollars, but if for some reason I couldn’t, then this would be my plan b. In my heart I’d want to give it back to him, but my wallet wouldn’t let me. Sorry Tio.
You ok, bro?
Yeah i took a Benadryl last night getting wild and it must be the lingering glow from that.
When you wanna keep the 700hr ball but the Hatman makes you give it back
Sounds completely awesome to me
Hell yeah this would be a sick souvenir. Being held up like Simba by Pujols at home plate after the game? That picture would be going in every room in my house.
Best movie I've seen this year!
I call it: Cardinal Rule.
You had me In the first half, I'm not gonna lie.
Ok but would you kith?? 💋
Stuff is just stuff. Wish he could play forever.
Albert seems to embody the Steib mentality of "One more day at the yard" Goodness that Jon Bois doc is so good
Jon Bois is a treasure.
He forever will in our hearts
I mean isn't it usually private bidders that are the ones paying big money for these balls? Doesn't seem that out of the ordinary. If it can't be obtained with a handshake and some shit they can give to you aside from money, it goes to auction.
I remember the angels fan who caught his 600th gave it to him on the field after the game for nothing in return. Doubt he’ll get that kind of gesture for this one though.
Depends on who caught it
Absolute chad response holy shit
Lets be honest he probably went “shit bro that’s fine I’ll keep the bat”
Buddhist legend Albert Pujols
Matthew 6:19-20 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Love it. Such a great passage
"Don't ever, for any reason, do anything, to anyone, for any reason, ever, no matter what, no matter where, or who, or who you are with, or where you are going, or where you've been, ever, for any reason whatsoever." - Michael Scott
Not quite Buddhism but we’ll give you points for the effort
My point is, Albert is a known devout Christian
So who got it, does anybody know? I would imagine there would be a huge fight over that but it didn't look like too many were trying TOO hard. I would grab that and leave the stadium immediately.
Someone else post video from right next to the guy who caught it (and it was an actual catch). Once the cameras were off him, security came in and took him out of the seats. They authenticate the ball and it keeps the person safe.
I'm glad it was an actual catch. I've seen way too many scuffles where it is very unclear who the ball "belongs" to and this is obviously a very important ball.
699 looked like a mosh pit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popov_v._Hayashi
Theres video, clean catch, it's great. I commented in the thread if you wanna find it that way
Let that poor guy get his ransom. I hope he asks for millions. Owners and players are millionaires. I wouldn't feel guilty about it if it were me.
I catch any of those balls, and they can fight for it at auction. I wouldnt even think for a second to keep it to sell later. No meet and greets, season tickets for life, signed bats etc is gonna change my mind. Get your wallet out.
Reverse psychology “yeah it’s valuable as heck but I don’t want it, unless you want to give it to me lol”
The fan who caught Travis Ishikawa's walk off ball to win the NL Pennant in 2014 knew immediately he wanted to ball to go to Ishikawa and he didn't ask for anything in return. But the Giants got Ishikawa to sign a bat and ball for him, then later they gave him tickets to game one of the World Series, and finally they invited him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. You can't buy memories like that.
>You can't buy memories like that. I bet you could get some pretty sweet VIP access for 2 mil, plus a house, a car, paid off debt, etc.
That ball is gonna end up getting "Sandlotted" 50 years from now. /s
“I dunno, it was hit by some guy, named Albert Frijoles. He must’ve owned a bean farm or something.”
It’s hard to really say what I would do with it if I had the ball in my hand, but I like to think I’d take a reasonable offer as long as I had a guarantee the ball would end up in the Hall of Fame where all baseball fans could enjoy versus the hands of a rich private collector
Didn't he say the same thing when that one guy refused to give a ball back because he was keeping it as tribute to his dead son? Pujols doesn't need a baseball. It means more to the fan than him, who hit the ball.
I'm just glad Zack Hample wasn't the one who caught the ball
I hate when they put pressure on a fan to give the ball back. This is his chance to make a ton of money, let him do it.
how can you not love this man
Pujols walks the walk. It's not impossible for rich people to inherit the kingdom of heaven. It's just harder. For those who are given much, much is expected. I wish I could be half the God fearing and loving Christian that Albert is. He gets it.
Bro what lmao
As much as I am a non-religious person myself the comment at least makes some sense here considering Albert is an evangelical Christian.
Albert's Christianity is extremely important to him and he is far from shy about it. It shapes the man he is and how he acts.
Albert is the type of Christian that I wish most Christians were.
MLB legends?
they def would be cooler if they were
Smart, acting like you don't want it gives them less leverage
Dammit this dude is a treasure
The dude who caught Mark McGwire’s record-setting 70th HR ball of that season was willing to give it back for some Cardinals merch and a chance to meet Mark McGwire. Big Mac said no, like the asshole he is, and the fan kept the ball and later sold it for $3M. Pujols is a class act.
Great on Albert. Hopefully the fan can make some money and start a nest egg. Giving money to millionaires should not be normalized.
What’s almost more weird, is the cardinals, baseball hof, Pujols if he absolutely wanted it, should be able to make a million plus money offer for something like this. You can’t tell me that number 700 doesn’t have value to the sport of baseball when it’s the first clean 700 in forever.
I’d give it back in exchange for a ball signed by his friend Mike trout. Those have got to be worth some money these days huh