Zack Hample has made a name for himself by catching balls at major league parks. During the past 25 years, the New Yorker and Yankees season ticket holder has snagged more than 8,000 balls at MLB stadiums throughout the country. Guess who caught the home run ball that was Alex Rodriguez’s 3,000th career hit?
Season ticket holder Zack Hample of NYC caught the HR ball. Claims to have caught Trout’s first HR & last HR at Shea pic.twitter.com/Rvecr6b5xT
— Mike Gavin (@MikeGavin7) June 19, 2015
(I’ve never caught a single baseball at a major or minor league game, or even a college or high school game. So I might harbor a little bit of resentment and envy toward Mr. Hample.)
Newsday’s Mike Gavin talked to Hample soon after his catch, and it sounds like the famous ball hawk intends to keep Rodriguez’s milestone hit in his collection. Or at the very least, he might see what sorts of offers he receives for the baseball.
Hample:”Someone like Jeter & Rodriguez whose made half a billion dollars in their career doesn’t really need a favor from a normal civilian” — Mike Gavin (@MikeGavin7) June 19, 2015
It doesn’t sound like a few autographed balls and jerseys, along with posing for a photo with the Yankees slugger is going to be enough to get that ball back.
Here’s A-Rod’s 3,000th hit/ball. Told the @Yankees I’m keeping it. Got it authenticated by @MLB. This is un-REAL. pic.twitter.com/qEo2qX9Iru
— Zack Hample (@zack_hample) June 20, 2015
But Hample has other notable balls in his collection, such as the final home run ball from Shea Stadium and Barry Bonds’ 724th career homer. He also caught Mike Trout’s first major league home run, but gave that back to the rookie knowing how much it would mean to him.
Hample has written three books about baseball. Depending on what happens from here, maybe catching A-Rod’s 3,000th hit has now provided the subject for his fourth.
